Thirty gallons of nerve agent leak at facility

NEWPORT, Ind. – About 30 gallons of a liquid containing a deadly Cold War-era nerve agent spilled at an Indiana weapons depot, but it was safely contained in a sealed area and no one was injured, the Army said Saturday.

The spill occurred Friday night at the Newport Chemical Agent Destruction Facility, where more than 250,000 gallons of the agent VX are stored. VX is a liquid with the consistency of mineral oil that can kill an adult with a single drop.

The spill happened during a process to destroy the nerve agent by converting it into a caustic chemical called hydrolysate. The facility has destroyed nearly 2,900 gallons of VX since the process started a month ago, the Army said. The neutralization process is expected to take more than two years.

Workers will try to determine what caused the valve to leak Friday night and how to fix it, said Army spokeswoman Terry Arthur.

“No agent was released outside the containment area and there was no danger to workers or to the community,” the Army said.