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On Nuclear Weapons PresenceNorthwest Arkcmsot Times, Mon,, Oct. 13, 1980 • 3FAYfTTIVIUf AtKANSAIDefense To Revise Disclosure PolicyBy The Associated FretsA revision in the Defense Department policy of neither confirming nor denying the presence of nuclear weapons has been ordered by Defense Secretary Harold Brown in the wake of protests by local and state officials over the way the Titan II missile explosion was handled.Air Force Secretary Hans Mark announced the new policy Friday.In other weekend developments, state Health Department officials said the results of a second round of interviews of residents near the explosion site should be completed late this week; Energy Systems Co of El Dorado destroyed the first truckload of contaminated wa ter from the silo: and it was reported that complaints of illness are similar to symptoms reported by airmen exposed to chemicals released in a 1978 missile silo accident in KansasMark described the change in Air Force policy as an importaut new directive but what he outlined during a news conference at Little Rock Air Force Base would not guarantee disclosure of anything.He was in Arkansas for the base’s 25th anniversary celebration and to tour the Titan II missile silo that blew up near Damascus about 3am Sept. 19, killing one Air Force crewman and injuring 21 othersMark said 150 tons of ex plosive material detonated in that incident, which he called ‘‘the maximum credible accident.”He also said that a 10-megaton warhead was in the silo when the missile exploded, but did not become armed in the incident. It is very, very difficult to make a nuclear explosion,” hesaidMark also said no decision has been made about whether to rebuild the silo, which is one of 18 in Arkansas and 54 in the United States He said he would guess that the cost of rebuilding this one would be about $100million.During and after the incident at Damascus, the Defense Department repeatedly refused to confirm or deny the presence of a nuclear warhead That anger ed and frustrated many local officials and residents of the area, some of whom were among 1,400 who were evacuated.Browri could have granted an exception and allowed for disclosure of information about the warhead at the time of the silo incident, but decided not to,Mark saidThe new policy would provide procedures for calling a high level meeting or conference call to consider'’ whether to disclose anything about the nu clear weapon. Mark saidWhen asked who actually would decide on disclosure. Mark said, Some individual would be designated to decide ’’ He decbned to speculate whether the individual again would be the defense secretaryDr Robert Young, state Health Department director said the decision to make a second survey of residents near the explosion site was prompted by the possibility that a disruption of atmospheric conditions in the Sept 19 explosion could have caused toxic fumes from the explosion to drift toward Guy.Some residents of Guy, about six miles southeast of the explosion site, have complained of respiratory problems, burning lips, fatigue and headache since the explosion occurred When the first survey was done, the health department be lieved that toxic fumes could not have drifted into Guy because the wind wasn’t blowing in that direction, Young said He said the Health Department was not able to prove or disprove from the* first survey that the com plaints of the Guy residents were related to the explosion However, Young said the symptoms were comparable to symptoms experienced by people who have been exposed tonitrous oxidesThe new survey includes interviews of people who live in 10communities around the Damascus explosion siteThe Air Force has denied any connection between the ailments reported by about 40 Guy area residents and the Sept 19 explosion.Guy residents said clouds of foul smelling vapor drifted near their homes about one hour after the early morning explosionResidents complained ofheadaches, shortness of breath and chest painsAn article published in the American Medical Association Journal on Sept 12 listed symptoms of 24 airmen who were ex posed to chemicals in a Titan II accident Aug 24. 1978 at Rock, KanThe AMA article by three Air Force physicians cited similar, and in some cases identical, symptoms as being reported by the Kansas airmen following the 1978 accidentThe article — written by LtCol Charles Yockey, Maj. Billy Eden and Col Richard Byrd -said inhalation of nitrogen com pound vapors resulted in the deaths of two men in the Kansas accident. Other airmen, the article said, inhaled minimal or moderate amounts of the nitrogen compoundNitrogen tetroxide is an oxi dizing agent which is mixed with the fuels in a Titan II missile before firing In the Kansas accident, the article said, the compound was broken up into nitrogen dioxide — a possibly lethal compoundMeanwhile, the cleanup at 'he silo site continuesEnergy Systems Co. of El lo-rado destroyed the first truck load of contaminated water from the silo in a test burn FridayCompany president Melvyn Bell said the test appeared to go smoothly He said it should take Ensco about 30 davs to completely incinerate all the wates removed from the silo.
Newspaper Details
Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville, Arkansas, US
Mon, Oct 13, 1980
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Arkansas S.
AR, USA 25 Feb 2020
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