M55 Rocket Disposal Program Study M55-CS-3. Preliminary Assessment of the Health and Environmental Impacts of Continuing to Store M55 Rockets at Lexington-Blue Grass Depot Activity, Anniston Army Depot, Umatilla Depot Activity, Pi

摘要

This analysis of the potential health and environmental impacts of continuing to store M55 rockets filled with nerve agent GB or VX at all depots storing these munitions considered normal operations (i.e., no release of agent to the biosphere) and two postulated accidents (a minor spill (the nerve-agent contents of a single rocket) and an igloo fire resulting in the dissemination of a very small percentage of the nerve-agent contents of a storage igloo (the Army's continued storage Maximum Credible Event)). The analysis considered impacts to air quality, water quality, aquatic and terrestrial biota, and cultural and socioeconomic impacts. The accident analysis calculated downwind hazard distances for each installation considered utilizing the vapor-depletion version of the D2B atmospheric dispersion code of the U.S. Army Chemical Research and Development Center, for accidents under conservative most likely and worst-case meteorological conditions. This code predicts distances to 50% lethality, 1% lethality, and no deaths. A modified-box approach to atmospheric dispersion was used to identify no-effects distances beyond 20 km for each accident scenario. For normal operations (i.e., no agent release), no significant impacts were identified, excepting possibly some effects on public support of or opposition to continued storage and some increase in civilian emergency response planning and capabilities enhancements. Under the minor spill scenario, all lethal and sublethal impacts resulting from a VX spill and most if not all impacts from a GB spill would be contained within an installation's boundaries.