Purpose

The Department of Defense purchases Decontamination Solution 2 (DS2) for decontaminating equipment in the event of chemical warfare. This is the only stated use of DS2. The Army is the principal user of DS2.

The Chairman, Subcommittee on Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, House Committee on Government Operations, requested that GAO review the Army’s management and disposal of DS2. Specifically, the Chairman asked GAO to address the following issues:

• how the use of DS2 can affect the readiness of certain currently deployed weapon systems,

• how the Army’s efforts ensure that DS2 is stored properly,

• why the Army uses DS2 when the Air Force and the Navy use nonhazardous decontaminants, and

• how the Department of Defense’s procedures ensure that surplus DS2 sold to the public is not used in a way that is harmful to humans or the environment.

Background

DS2 is incompatible with most metals. It corrodes aluminum, cadmium, tin, and zinc. It can damage metal, electronics, rubber sealants, fabrics, and plastics, which can affect the readiness of military equipment, such as tanks. DS2 is difficult to store and costly to dispose of. DS2 is also dangerous to humans, since it can cause severe burns; stricture of the esophagus; damage to the cornea of the eye, central nervous system, and liver; and adverse effects on human reproduction. It is not authorized for training due to its hazards.

The military services estimate that they have procured a total of about 5 million gallons of DS2 since the early 1960s. The Army has purchased the largest amount. From November 1986 to November 1988, the services requisitioned a total of 772,000 gallons of DS2. (DS2 procurement records earlier than November 1986 were not required to be retained.) Of this amount, the Army requisitioned about 666,000 gallons, or 86 percent; the Marine Corps requisitioned about 104,000 gallons, or about 13 percent; and the Air Force and the Navy requisitioned about 2,000 gallons, or less than l/2 of 1 percent. The cost of 1x2 varies from about $14 to $28 per gallon.

Results in Brief

Army units throughout the continental United States and overseas are purchasing large quantities of DS2, even though Army tests have shown that DS2 can damage current weapon systems, making them inoperable.