Hazardous Materials

DOD Should Eliminate DS2 From Its Inventory of Decontaminants Gao ID: NSIAD-90-10 April 25, 1990

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO evaluated Decontamination Solution 2 (DS2), focusing on: (1) the Army's management and disposal of DS2; (2) DS2 effects on the readiness of the Army's deployed weapon systems; and (3) whether the Army properly stored DS2.

GAO found that: (1) Army units continued to purchase DS2 and Army technical manuals continued to instruct personnel to use the solution regardless of its proven damaging effects on weapon systems; (2) the Army's DS2 storage facilities did not conform to Department of Defense regulations, resulting in potential danger to humans and the environment; (3) the Air Force and the Navy used effective alternatives to DS2; (4) Army tests indicated that household bleaches were as effective as DS2; (5) the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) did not inform buyers of potential dangers and safety precautions associated with DS2; (6) on February 13, 1990, DLA restricted DS2 sales to recyclers; and (7) DLA believed that it had no authority to limit individual buyers from buying DS2.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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