Correction Appended
The chemical agent mustard, used in the production of mustard gas during World War I, was found by the Army Corps of Engineers behind an AU property at 4825 Glenbrook Road on Aug. 4, according to an e-mail sent by the university.
The Army Corps of Engineers was in the process of excavating pit 3 at 4825 Glenbrook Rd. when intact open glassware filled with an unknown solid substance was uncovered. Test results received on Aug. 10 confirmed that the solid substance was the chemical agent mustard, according to an Army Corps of Engineers press release. No hazardous material was found directly on AU's campus.
During World War I, AU's campus was used for the offices and laboratories of the U.S. Army Chemical Corp. After the war ended, unexploded munitions, mustard gas, arsine and arsenic from the laboratories were buried behind AU's campus on a then undeveloped parcel of land, The Eagle previously reported. Since then, that land has been developed and now has roughly 1,100 homes, according to The Washington Post.
After the glassware was found, the excavation was halted, and the pit resealed by workers in hazmat suits. The glassware was then taken for testing. The process of resealing the pit and transporting the contaminated flask never posed any threat to public health, according to the press release.
"There was no risk to the public, we have continual air monitoring at the operation and nothing was detected," said Todd Beckwith, project manager of the Spring Valley excavation. "It was a very small quantity of mustard agent that was detected in residue inside of a glass flask."
The contamination of soil in the Spring Valley area of Northwest D.C. has concerned many students of AU and residents of the neighborhood. Last year Ginny Durin, a resident of Spring Valley, produced a film called "Bombs in our Backyard" detailing the risks residents risk living on top of buried weapon caches. In 2004, the Northwest Current ran a 10 page special section about possible health hazards residents face.
Due to the discovery of the mustard agent, the excavation has been suspended indefinitely. It will not be resumed until further safety precautions are discussed and implemented.
"We're looking at how to move forward," Beckwith said. "We're not certain how long the delay will be but we're talking months, not years."
Correction: In an online story, posted to The Eagle's Web site, it was incorrectly stated that the chemical agent mustard was found behind the Public Safety Building. The chemical agent was found on 4825 Glenbrook Rd., off of AU's main campus. The Eagle regrets the error.
