Again I would like to reiterate that the technology to be used to destroy the chemical weapons is in fact proven and safe as evidenced by the complete destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile that had been stored on Johnston Atoll and the continued successful destruction of the stockpile in Tooele, Utah. These facilities have been deemed safe for the community and the work force by such oversight organizations as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Research Council, and the state of Utah. The evidence and data does support the fact that these facilities are safe.I welcome this opportunity to address Dr. deFur's claims (Speak Out August 7) and clarify any misperceptions. The Army has conducted a Human Health Risk Assessment (HRA) to address the impact of potential emissions from the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (ANCDF) in accordance with standards set forth by the EPA and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. These standards have been reviewed by scientists who are recognized experts and leaders in their particular fields of study. The emissions, which are made up of mostly steam and carbon dioxide, and have been deemed to be harmless to human health and the environment. The HRA study considered the chemicals referred to by Dr. deFur, as well as other possible chemicals. The scientists' conclusions, supported by indisputable facts, confirm unequivocally the operations of the ANCDF will not cause any unacceptable adverse impact to the community or the work force.
There is additional hard evidence to support the conclusion that incineration of the chemical weapons stored at Anniston Army Depot is a safe, and therefore a proven, timely, and proper disposal method. It is a fact that the Johnston Atoll facility destroyed the entire stockpile there consisting of 412,732 items and 2,031 tons of agent. The operations there did not have an adverse impact to the health of the individuals who lived and worked there. At the same time, the Johnston Atoll wildlife has continued to flourish. And for the past five years, the Tooele facility has safely incinerated 75.4 percent of the munitions in its stockpile.
The technology works and the math is simple. The Army has already destroyed two times the Anniston stockpile of 661,529 weapons and containers and more than three times the 2,254 tons of agent located here. Besides the operational data, other studies have shown that dioxin-like emissions are higher from forest fires, residential wood burning, diesel trucks, and even cigarette smoke than from the Army's incineration facilities.
Dr. deFur is correct in stating that industrial equipment is not perfect. That is why safeguards are present in industrial settings. That is why the Army and Westinghouse have an aggressive and comprehensive training program to ensure the work force is prepared to operate the facility safely and to respond to any unexpected event. The ANCDF facility, and the other operational chemical agent disposal facilities, has significantly more safeguards than typical industrial settings.
As for the Pollution Abatement System Filter System carbon filters that were added to the ANDCF as an additional safety measure, Dr. deFur misstates the conclusion of the study he is referencing. The NRC Study is entitled "Carbon Filtration for Reducing Emissions from Chemical Agent Incineration."
In it, the NRC states, "The addition of the Pollution Abatement System Filtration System (PFS) to the Pollution Abatement System would probably reduce the already low emissions. However, the risk to the work force is potentially increased due to the addition of another piece of equipment to make the ANCDF more complex." The study concluded that when balancing these risk factors, the PFS poses no additional risk to the community. Worker risk, meanwhile, will be minimized through stringent procedures that will be in place to ensure the safety of our professionals. The report concludes, "The disposal facility emissions are low enough to meet regulatory approval even without the PFS." The NRC study is quite clear in making the point that the largest risk to the community is the continued storage of the chemical weapons stockpile at the depot. Simply stated, delaying disposal of these weapons will increase the risk to the community.
I would be remiss if I did not also take this opportunity to correct a misperception that Ms. Sherry Blanton (Speak Out, August 7) has argued. The Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization has published several reports providing ongoing assessments of the remaining storage stability of nonleaking and leaking M55 rockets. From a report soon to be published we are told that there is a 1-in-19 billion chance that a rocket stored here at Anniston will auto ignite before the year 2020. However, this chance increases to 1-in-385 thousand by the year 2040. This data shows us that the risk increases significantly as time passes by. What is much more difficult to predict is the possibility of an explosion due to some sort of accident, such as a lightning strike. Though small, that risk causes the greatest impact to the local community, especially considering we have a proven technology to destroy the rockets and the other munitions as well. While some reports suggest some rockets may be less of a storage risk than others, there is no way to positively guarantee that nothing bad will happen. What I can positively guarantee is that the ANCDF will be operated safely. We will alleviate the problem and risk of continued storage of the chemical weapons on the depot.
I urge citizens to learn the real facts associated with the storage of chemical weapons in our community and the Army's plan to destroy them safely. Everyone is welcome to visit the Community Outreach Office at 11 East 10th Street in Anniston or call them at 238-0120. Also, people may call my office at 238-1652, Ext. 235, for information about the ANCDF.
There is no doubt or argument that the problem for this community exists today and that is the storage of the existing stockpile of chemical weapons. The solution to the problem is a proven technology that has already safely destroyed 1,272,030 chemical weapons and containers along with 7,266 tons of chemical agent. That same technology will be used to safely destroy the stockpile in Anniston.
Timothy K. Garrett
ANCDF Site Project Manager
Anniston
