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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)
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      Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)


      Mission: The safe elimination of chemical weapons at Pueblo and Blue Grass by Sept. 30, 2023

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      BGCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond, Kentucky.

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Pueblo Technicians Streamline Air Monitoring

Published: July 20, 2017 | Category: PCAPP News, Safety
Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant technicians navigate an airlock room in a Demilitarization Protective Ensemble with supplied air. Beginning on July 7, air hose sampling for mustard agent permeation was reduced from every 12 hours to every 24 hours, after data showed the reduction would not negatively impact the health and safety of entrants.

Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant technicians navigate an airlock room in a Demilitarization Protective Ensemble with supplied air. Beginning on July 7, air hose sampling for mustard agent permeation was reduced from every 12 hours to every 24 hours, after data showed the reduction would not negatively impact the health and safety of entrants.

In an effort to use resources more efficiently, breathing air hoses used by workers who make toxic area entries at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant are being sampled every 24 hours instead of every 12 hours.

“After collecting and reporting air samples for six months during agent operations, the plant’s laboratory now has enough data to demonstrate that reducing the frequency of air monitoring will not negatively impact the health and safety of entrants,” said Mark Langlois, senior industrial hygienist, PCAPP.

Air hoses are sampled and analyzed for mustard agent. Readings are used to make decisions on when to change out hoses. PCAPP Laboratory results demonstrate it takes anywhere from four days to two weeks for mustard to permeate the hoses and reach removal levels, said Langlois.

“Removing hoses from service at 20 percent of the Worker Population Limit [an airborne exposure limit expressed as a time-weighted average, a calculation of a worker’s daily exposure to a hazardous substance] protects employees from overexposure and prevents any potential heath effect,” Langlois said. “Testing once a day and removing hoses from service early is conservative and protective of PCAPP employees.”

As the plant moves from pilot testing to full scale operations, staff continue to seek opportunities for improvement. The reduction in air hose sampling will help free up instrument time to continue to process samples from other areas of the plant.

“We are constantly looking at ways to become more efficient,” Langlois said. “We have proven that we can streamline measurements and still keep our people safe.”

Related Posts

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    Improved Equipment Could Accelerate Destruction at Pueblo Plant

    Published: July 5, 2022
  • Agent-filled 4.2-inch mortar rounds are monitored during Static Detonation Chamber agent trial testing operations at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

    Static Detonation Chamber Trial Testing Concludes

    Published: May 13, 2022
  • After a chemical weapon is drained of agent and rinsed with high-pressure hot water, Agent Washwater Separator tanks collect fluid before sending it to Agent Neutralization Reactors to destroy the mustard agent. The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant has two tanks, providing the plant with redundancy when neutralizing agent.

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    Published: March 28, 2022
  • All chemical weapons from the Colorado stockpile are sorted into four color-coded lots to reduce delays in destruction due to problematic munitions.

    Color Coding Boosts Chemical Weapon Destruction

    Published: March 23, 2022
  • A Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant ordnance technician holds the first 4.2-inch mortar round to be processed in the Static Detonation Chamber complex.

    First Agent Destroyed in Static Detonation Chamber

    Published: February 22, 2022
  • Static Detonation Chamber ordnance technicians Rachelle S. and Mike W. remove a 57mm conventional ammunition round from its fiber tube during SDC non-agent Trial Burn Testing.

    Conventional Explosives Demonstrate Static Detonation Chamber Capability

    Published: February 15, 2022
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Other Recent PCAPP News

  • Improved Equipment Could Accelerate Destruction at Pueblo Plant

    Improved Equipment Could Accelerate Destruction at Pueblo Plant

    July 5, 2022
  • Static Detonation Chamber Trial Testing Concludes

    Static Detonation Chamber Trial Testing Concludes

    May 13, 2022
  • Colorado Commission Welcomes New Member

    Colorado Commission Welcomes New Member

    May 4, 2022
  • Backup Systems Allow for Safe Repairs

    Backup Systems Allow for Safe Repairs

    March 28, 2022
  • Color Coding Boosts Chemical Weapon Destruction

    Color Coding Boosts Chemical Weapon Destruction

    March 23, 2022

PCAPP Safety Videos

  • PCAPP Safety: Written in the Stars

    PCAPP Safety: Written in the Stars

    June 8, 2015
  • Pueblo Plant Operational Readiness Review

    Pueblo Plant Operational Readiness Review

    February 25, 2014
  • Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Hazard School Board

    Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Hazard School Board

    August 16, 2013
  • PCAPP and the Community Share in National Safety Award

    PCAPP and the Community Share in National Safety Award

    March 31, 2009

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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)