The Army’s tests have indicated that household bleaches were just as effective as DS2, and the Training and Doctrine Command has recommended that the Army replace DS2 with a less damaging decontaminant. Nevertheless, the Army continues to buy DS2, and its technical manual continues to instruct personnel to use it. Because of the many problems associated with DS2, the Air Force and the Navy are using effective, less toxic alternatives. The Air Force has selected hot, soapy water as its overall decontaminant, and the Navy has decided to use a hypochlorite (a bleaching agent) as its decontaminant for ships.

The Defense Logistics Agency, the responsible agency within the Department of Defense for selling excess property, told GAO it believed it had no authority to restrict or limit private entities or individuals from buying hazardous materials such as DS2. Once hazardous materials were sold, the agency did not ensure that the buyers were provided with information on how to use the materials properly. For example, the agency was selling DS2 to the general public without providing the Material Safety Data Sheet for DS2, which identifies health and environmental hazards associated with DS2. (Data sheets are available for all government-owned hazardous material.) Consequently, buyers were not being informed of the potential dangers of DS2 and of the safety precautions that need to be taken when using DS2, for example, wearing the protective equipment specified in the data sheets. However, on February 13, 1990, the Commander, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, Defense Logistics Agency, testified before the Subcommittee on Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, House Committee on Government Operations, that future sales of DS2 will be restricted to recyclers.

DS2 Can Adversely Affect In April 1984 the Army conducted tests at the Dugway Proving Ground Weapons and Equipment to determine the effects of DS2 on an Ml tank. The DS2 caused the rubber road wheels and tracks to become soft and decompose. DS2 also caused electronic cables to become extremely soft, and it actually ate through one cable. The DS~ also damaged the tank’s periscopes. Any of these damages can make a tank inoperable. Efforts to field equipment that can withstand the use of DS2 have only been marginally effective.