In 1985, the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 99-145, requiring the Department of Defense to dispose of its chemical weapons. As a result, the Army's Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization was formed with the sole task of safely eliminating the entire stockpile. In 1997, the United States signed the International Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) treaty. This agreement requires the U.S. to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile by the year 2007. A host of other nations have also signed the treaty, which calls for the destruction of all chemical weapons in the world, as well as prohibiting the use, stockpiling or production of chemical weapons.

For decades, the Army has studied numerous technologies for destruction of these chemical warfare agents and determined that incineration is the most proven technology to safely eliminate the stockpile.

It was determined that the construction and operation of extremely high temperature incineration facilities would safely and completely eliminate the agents and munitions in an environmentally safe manner, while ensuring the protection of the health and safety of workers and the community. In 1984, the incineration process was also recommended and endorsed by the independent National Research Council (NRC) as the safest process currently available to destroy the stockpile. In 1994, the NRC conducted a follow-up study and again recommended the incineration process as the safest technology to destroy the stockpile. This recommendation was further reinforced by the Centers for Disease Control's recommendation to use the incineration process.

In July 1997, the Army awarded a multi-million dollar contract to Raytheon Demilitarization Company (RDC) of Philadelphia, PA, to construct, test, operate and close the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (PBCDF). Construction began January 1999, after the state of Arkansas granted regulatory permits. The State Department of Environmental Quality awarded the permits after it thoroughly reviewed the Army's permit application and only after ensuring that the health and safety of the workers, the community and the environment were protected. The PBCDF site covers 26 acres and is located on the northern end of the Arsenal. Construction was completed in November 2002. The testing and training phases were completed in 2005. Operations began March 2005 and will require a minimum of five years. Closure will begin immediately after operations are completed, with an estimated duration of two years. Between 700 and 800 contractor workers are expected to be employed at PBCDF during disposal operations.

In a nutshell, eliminating the stockpile involves separating the components of the munitions — liquid agent, explosives, and metal parts — using a totally controlled and automated system. Each of the components are disposed of at extreme high temperatures in their own incinerator. Each incinerator has its own pollution abatement system, which thoroughly cleans emissions at levels required by federal and state requirements. To ensure the protection, safety and health of the workers, the community and the environment, operations are conducted using strict environmental controls with safeguards built upon safeguards.

Risk studies show that 3.3 years of disposal operations using incineration is much safer than the risk 3.3 days of continued storage poses to the surrounding community. The CDC has found emissions from such incinerators are much cleaner than common urban air concentrations. Monitoring levels for nerve agents are roughly 21,000 times stricter than federal requirements, and emissions monitoring are about 210 times stricter than those required by many states. These facts — along with the Army's 20-plus years of experience with safe, proven and mature incineration technology — underline the Army's promise to provide the utmost protection to the safety and health of installation workers, the public and environment until the stockpile is completely eliminated.

Information regarding the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility and the Army's Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program can be found at either the Pine Bluff Chemical Stockpile Community Outreach Office, or White Hall Chemical Stockpile Community Outreach Office, 7197 Sheridan Road, Suite 110, White Hall, 71602. The telephone number is 870-247-2025.

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