Nov. 5

Attorneys for the Government Accountability Project, a whistleblower group, have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop plans by the federal and Oregon state government to incinerate mustard agent stored in ton containers.

The material, manufactured decades ago for use in chemical weapons, is contain aminaed with mercury and other hazardous wastes that would release mercury and toxins into the environment at the Umatilla Chemical Depot, according to GAP attorneys.

The lawsuit, filed in an Oregon circuit court, seeks judicial review of decisions by the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission and the Department of Environmental Quality to move forward with plans to incinerate the federal government stockpile of mustard gas. GAP attorneys argue there is evidence that burning the mercury- and toxin-laced chemical agent would pose a risk of cancer to humans.

If incinerated, the mercury would not be fully captured by the filter systems currently in place or planned for the Umatilla Chemical Demilitarization Facility, according to GAP. Safer methods, including chemical neutralization, exist for dealing with the mustard gas, the group argues.  ƒn

Contact Waste News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at (330) 865-6172 or bgeiselman@crain.com

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