Report Faults Firm’s Storage of Rocket Fuel
Fire officials are questioning safety standards used in storing a volatile rocket fuel oxidizer at a Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. plant here, according to an unreleased Clark County Fire Department report.
The report, obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, cites more than a dozen violations in the storage of ammonium perchlorate and imprudent handling of flammable, toxic chemicals and gases used in its production.
A high-ranking Fire Department source said the department will lobby against renewed production of ammonium perchlorate until Kerr-McGee reduces safety risks, the newspaper reported Friday.
The Kerr-McGee plant in Henderson halted production of ammonium perchlorate May 12 following an explosion a week earlier at nearby Pacific Engineering & Production Co. Kerr-McGee and Pacific Engineering were the only plants in the country producing the oxidizer used in the space shuttle and military rockets.
A safety team said last week it was safe to resume production at Kerr-McGee if certain guidelines were followed.
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