CBRN event in VA, Radford area, United States of America on Fri 27th September 2024

Target 7: DEQ reports thousands of gallons of chemicals unaccounted for in New River from Radford plant
The chemical, Dibutyl Phthalate, was being stored in totes at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant.

The Radford Army Ammunition Plant suffered significant flooding from Hurricane Helene.

As we’ve reported, it caused dozens of employees to be furloughed.

According to a state report, it also led to potentially thousands of gallons of chemicals being released into the New River. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said 13 totes of chemicals were unaccounted for after the storm.

The chemical is Dibutyl Phthalate, or DBP. It’s an oily liquid used to make everything from plastics, paints, insect repellents, nail polish and even rocket fuel. The National Library of Medicine says it can cause developmental and reproductive issues in men and women. The DEQ report says each tote contained 275 gallons, about 3,600 gallons total of DBP.

Boats, drones and helicopters have all been used to try and locate them, searching as far as the Bluestone Dam in West Virginia. Since the initial report October 14, at least four of the totes have been found, with different amounts of DBP missing from them. The report says only 225 total gallons have been confirmed to have been released into the environment. As of November 8, nine totes of the chemical are still unaccounted for.

The report also states the plant is looking for a contractor to do sampling and remediation for a release on private property in Parrott, Virginia.

A Virginia Department of Health spokesman told WDBJ7 because there are no intakes in the New River downstream from the plant, there are no concerns that any of the chemicals released are in anyone’s drinking water.

BAE Systems, the company that operates the Radford plant, said they don’t believe there’s a risk to public health or wildlife.