Test Site training to use chemical agents

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003 | 9:48 a.m.

The National Nuclear Security Administration is planning to expand the use of biological and chemical agents at the Nevada Test Site to train emergency crews on how to respond in case of a large-scale weapons of mass destruction attack.

The administration, which operates a large hazardous spill facility in the southeast corner of the Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is studying the use of biological or chemical agents for training rescue crews in abandoned buildings on the southwest corner of the Test Site, Gus Williams, a test and evaluations manager with Bechtel Nevada, said at a meeting in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The Wednesday meeting was the first of two. The second is scheduled for tonight in Pahrump.

The materials proposed for the exercises would not be infectious and would not pose a threat to those participating in training, Williams said.

There is no list of proposed chemicals. "Those that would be used for testing detectors would be comparable to household cleaning products," Williams said.

In order for those in training to experience real-world conditions, a small amount of a biological agent or chemical would be used so students learn how detectors and monitors work, he said.

Biological agents common to a high school or undergraduate university laboratory are proposed, Chuck Pergler of Tetra Tech, the company researching the environmental impacts of the proposal.

"We do the science, DOE (Department of Energy) makes the decision," Pergler said.

If the expanded training program is approved, it could begin as soon as October 2004.

Current training allows chemical companies to test products in natural conditions at the Test Site.

As the program expands, if the NNSA finds no significant threats to human health or the environment in its environmental assessment, more jobs may come to the Test Site, Morgan said. Hundreds of workers were released after underground nuclear weapons experiments were stopped in September 1992.

So far this year almost 10,000 firefighters and policemen have learned how to handle hazardous accidents.

The public may comment on the proposal until Oct. 31. Written comments may be submitted to: NEPA Document Manager, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office, P.O. Box 98518, Las Vegas, NV 89193. Or send e-mail to NEPA @nv.doe.gov.