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Destruction of the entire stockpile of chemical nerve agents at the Umatilla Chemical Depot, in Hermiston, Ore., has been completed. On Nov. 5, the last container of VX land mines was destroyed at the Umatilla disposal facility, according to the Army. This event marks the end of an era when chemical weapons containing explosive components were stored at the depot. The Army says 11,685 VX land mines have been destroyed since Sept. 25, when this phase of the chemical munitions disposal campaign began. The facility has spent just over a year destroying VX from sources including aircraft-mounted spray tanks and rockets. Currently, the disposal plant is transitioning operations to process HD mustard blistering agent. Disposal is slated to begin this spring and is expected to be finished within two years, after which the facility will be dismantled and closed. “We all must remain vigilant and prepared for emergencies until the last mustard munitions are gone, but the public risk from stored chemical weapons has been significantly reduced with elimination of all nerve agent munitions,” Bruce Henrickson, a public affairs officer with Umatilla, tells C&EN.
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