The General Accounting Office GAO in Washington, USA, has set the alarm bells ringing furiously. In a study conducted early this January it has said that the 25,000 tonnes of chemical weapons stockpiled by the US army may explode any time if not disposed off immediately. But the disposal incinerators will be operative only in AD 2004.

The weapons are stored in 8 sites in the US, and in 1 in the Pacific. The study takes particular note of the M-55 rockets, as its explosive component is inseparable from its chemical agents.