Chemical waste (nerve gas) may be shipped to Sauget (E. St. Louis, IL)

St. Louis Post Dispatch ^ | 3-13-02 | Tina Hesman

[FairWitness]

Tanker trucks loaded with tons of neutralized VX nerve gas could soon be pulling up to an incinerator in Sauget under a plan being developed by the Army.

The government is looking at Sauget and at least three other sites to get rid of 1,269 tons of the lethal nerve gas because it fears that the current home of the gas -- a chemical weapons depot in Newport, Ind. -- could be a target for terrorists.

[FairWitness]

Analogous to shipping nuclear waste? At least the stuff is supposedly "neutralized" first (with sodium hydroxide, which I assume makes it non-volatile - but does it make it non-toxic?)

[FairWitness]

As of right now, I hate the new posting form. I apologize for duplicating the test portion of the post, but am relieved I finally got it to work.

[scholar]

Back in the mid '80's, over half my town of New Lenox, Il was ordered to be evacuated due to a chemical leak from derailed railroad cars.

The amount and type of toxic elements going down the rails and our highways would make us all run for cover if we knew about even a small portion of it.

[Cliff Dweller]

Actually the neutralized agent would be safer to transport than most industrial chemicals currently passing through our cities, towns, neighborhoods, etc.

How many times do you read about a tanker truck or railcar carrying ammonia which overturns and causes the evacuation of tens of miles of the surrounding country. The neutralized agent would be similar to spilling drain cleaner if it inadvertently spilled. There are several methods available to neutralize the VX agent (which is similar to antifreeze in consistency), Sodium Hydroxide (strong bleach) is not necessarily the best, but it effectively removes the threat of the neutralized agent for the public.

The opposition group mentioned opposes any destruction involving incinerators and would prefer the U.S. Government spend billions of taxpayer dollars to build something which is really unnecessary for all practical purposes.

[Cliff Dweller]

The neutralized nerve agent would be typically much safer than most chemicals currently transported.

VX Nerve Agent (O-ethyl S-(2-diisopropylaminoethyl) methylphosphonothioate) can be neutralized with ordinary water (approximately 10% volume) and burned in a commercial incinerator without releasing HEAVY METALS to the environment, and once neutralized, there really is NO LONGER any chemical agent.

By the way it is not "nerve gas", it is a liquid.

[CARTOUCHE]

So what's the problem. I can't think of a better location for waste than the E. St. Louis area. How would residents know the difference?

[scholar]

Thank you for a scientific presentation of the facts. There is so much liberal, hysterical garbage presented as fact, it is great to hear from someone who knows whereof they speak.

[Cliff Dweller]

You are Welcome. People should have access to the truth of a matter, not hysterical ramblings.

[Eagle Eye]

By the way it is not "nerve gas", it is a liquid.

Yeah, but 'nerve vapor' hasn't got much of a ring to it! (Vapor pessure 2.9 mmHg @ STP)

Sarin is composed of four ingredients: Phosphrous trichloride, sodium flouride, isopropyl alcohol, acetonitrile (Neifert, 1997).

Can you guess the topic for my Industrial Toxicology class in grad school?

[yankeedame]

So what's the problem. I can't think of a better location for waste than the E. St. Louis area. How would residents know the difference?

===============

Amen!And what do you mean the residents? How would anybody know? That place looks like something out of a Mad Max film.

[Cliff Dweller]

Thanks for the information Eagle Eye, but VX is not Sarin.... Sarin is GB, much more conducive to being a vapor, VX is persistent and is not as volatile.