WWII-era chemical weapons found on island of Oahu
Associated Press
Last update: April 15, 2008 - 3:22 PM
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - The Army says it is ready to begin destroying a stockpile of old chemical weapons found during cleanup of a training range on the island of Oahu.
The Army calls it the largest concentration of unexploded chemical weapons ever found in the U.S.
Most of the artillery shells and other weapons contain the choking agent phosgene and one holds an agent that causes a reaction like tear gas.
The Army says the weapons were produced beginning in World War I and were stockpiled at the Schofield Barracks military base through World War II.
Army officials say a system called a Transportable Detonation Chamber will contain the weapons while they are destroyed one at a time with explosives. Heat and a series of filters will neutralize their poisonous contents.
Army prepared to destroy WWI- and WWII-era chemical weapons found on island of Oahu