Russia uses completely safe technologies to destroy chemical weapons - General Kapashin
MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax-AVN) - No a single emergency situation occurred when destroying poisonous substances in the framework of the federal target program Destruction of Chemical Weapons Arsenal in Russia, head of the federal department for safe storage and destruction of chemical weapons, Colonel General Valery Kapashin said.
"Not a single case of accidental or emergency situations took place at our facilities in the 11 years of practical work to destroy chemical weapons," Kapashin said in an interview with Interfax-AVN.
Russia's technologies for destroying poisonous substances have gone through all possible tests, including international ones, and have been recognized as safe, Kapashin said. "This has been proved by years-long experience of functioning of our facilities, which destroyed over three fourths of chemical weapons arsenal. No a single emergency situation has been allowed and controlling bodies have not registered a single case of poisonous substances or products of their destruction getting into the environment," he said.
This is the most important aspect when destroying chemical weapons, the general said.
"We are destroying military poisonous substances via chemical neutralization. Such a process is held under relatively low temperatures - within 100 degrees Celsius. Low temperatures of the process allows for controlling and managing it easier," Kapashin said.
An important peculiarity of chemical weapons destruction in Russia is the fact that all processes are carried out within one facility, Kapashin said.