Caustic Water Spills at Nerve Gas Disposal Site

Army contractors halted operations at a complex built to destroy a deadly nerve agent after about 500 gallons of caustic wastewater created as a result of the chemical weapon’s destruction spilled in a contained area.

No workers were injured or exposed to the wastewater, called hydrolysate, when it leaked onto the floor of a sealed area at the Newport Chemical Depot, said Dennis Lindsey, a spokesman for the depot about 30 miles north of Terre Haute.

“Everything is shut down in the safe mode right now until we get everything taken care of,” he said. “Once we [find] out what the problem is and get it fixed, we’ll start back up again.”