US begins destruction of its largest remaining chemical weapon stockpile

The destruction of United States' largest remaining chemical weapon stockpile begun on Wednesday as army officials used explosives to rip open a container of mustard agent inside a sealed chamber and then flooded it with another chemical to neutralize it, a report has said.

Initially, only the first few pounds of 2,600 tons of mustard agent were destroyed at the 4.5 billion dollar plant built at Pueblo Chemical Depot in southern Colorado. Most of it is contained in about 780,000 shells, reported New York Post.

The Pueblo stockpile will take about four years to be destroyed completely.

Bruce Huenefeld, manager of the first destruction process to get underway at the depot said that everyone was really excited but the officials have been cautious, making sure that all the procedures were followed exactly.

Another 523 tons of mustard and deadly nerve agents are stored at Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. However, Blue Grass isn't expected to start destroying the stockpile until 2016 or 2017, finishing in 2023.

Mustard agent is a thick liquid that is colourless and has almost no odour. However, it got its name because impurities made early versions smell like mustard.

The chemical can maim or kill by damaging skin, the eyes and airways.

It is being destroyed under the terms and conditions of a 1997 international treaty banning all chemical weapons.

The U.S. acquired 30,600 tons of mustard and nerve agents, but it never used them in war. Almost 90 percent of its original stockpile has already been destroyed, mostly by incineration.

However, depots in Colorado and Kentucky are using chemical neutralization because residents and officials expressed concerns about the vapor from incineration.