The Pueblo Chemical Depot was a U.S. Army site located in Pueblo County, Colorado. It was used for 82 years to stockpile and safeguard artillery shells and mortars that contained a form of mustard gas. At the time that it closed in 2023, it was one of the last two such sites that held chemical munitions and materials. The dangerous materials that the Pueblo Chemical Depot was protecting were not the only hazards on the property: living quarters and the storage facilities that held the biohazards were built with significant amounts of asbestos, putting those who served, worked, and lived on the property at risk of malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.
The History of the Pueblo Chemical Depot
Established in 1942 for the receipt, storage, and supply of ammunition during World War II, the Pueblo Chemical Depot was originally called the Pueblo Ordnance Depot. The 21,000-acre site was designed as a storage and supply site for the military, and after World War II, it was expanded to continue its mission during the Korean War. Over its early years, the site was assigned responsibility for the maintenance of missiles, artillery, fire control, optical equipment, ammunition renovation, and, eventually, the demilitarization of weapons returning from the combat theater. With approximately 8,000 workers, it became one of Pueblo County’s largest employers.[1]
After 1951, the U.S. Air Force began using the Pueblo Ordnance Depot for ammunition distribution, but in 1952, its mission expanded significantly when the Rocky Mountain Arsenal transported mustard-agent-filled munitions to Pueblo for storage.[2] In 1962, the facility was renamed the Pueblo Army Depot and resumed supplying the army with munitions, and by the 1970s, its primary mission was missile systems repair and maintenance.[1]
Pueblo Army Depot had miles of storage space, which the military used to store more than $75 million worth of Nazi propaganda war art that had been captured by Allied troops during the war, as well as 160,000 Army historical collectibles and art created by American soldiers during the Vietnam war. In 1976, the site was given depot “activity” status.[1]
In 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty banning “nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with intermediate ranges.” This historic agreement led to the depot being assigned the task of disassembling and eliminating the specified weaponry, which it completed in 1991. In 1988, it was realigned under the Base Closure and Realignment Commission and assigned the single mission of safe, secure storage of munitions, Still, it was also responsible for supporting Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and shipped significant quantities of supplies and ammunition to Southeast Asia and to other depots as it completed its downsizing responsibilities.[1]
In 1996, the site was renamed again as the Pueblo Chemical Depot. In 1997, after the United States ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention prohibiting the development and use of chemical weapons, the site was tasked with the demilitarization of the chemical munitions that it stored.[1]
The chemical weapon destruction process was complex, and in 2002, the Department of Defense opted for neutralization followed by biotreatment to destroy the more than 780,000 mustard-gas-filled munitions at the depot. Ground was broken on the site for the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in 2002 and completed in 2012. In 2014, the military decided to use the Pueblo Chemical Agent Pilot Plant Explosive Destruction System to destroy what the neutralization and biotreatment process was unable to eliminate.[1]
As the Pueblo Chemical Depot’s responsibilities were repurposed, its population shrunk, and by 1998, only 33 of its 862 buildings were occupied. Many of the vacant buildings began deteriorating, and local residents expressed concern about hazardous waste and misuse of the land. The site was downsized from 23,000 acres to 7,000 and was used as part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program to develop emergency plans and provide chemical accident response equipment and warning systems. [2]
In September 2024, The U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot was deactivated; it had completed its task of destroying the chemical weapons stockpile in July 2023. The chemical demilitarization facility and equipment are being decontaminated and decommissioned for demolition or reuse, a process that is expected to take three years. After the property is deemed safe, it will be turned over to PuebloPlex, a local redevelopment authority.[3]
How Was Asbestos Used at Pueblo Chemical Depot?
Asbestos is a mineral that has been used for centuries for a variety of purposes, but in the United States, it was extremely popular in the years between the 1930s and 1980s — the same years that the Pueblo Chemical Depot was most active. The material is known today for being carcinogenic, but in those years, its dangers weren’t known, and it was considered a miracle substance that added strength, durability, insulation, and fireproofing characteristics to the materials it was added to.
While the U.S. military made use of asbestos in numerous applications, it was especially valuable for the construction of the Pueblo Chemical Depot, whose buildings and structures were used to safeguard dangerous chemical munitions. The sprawling, 24,000-acre complex encompassed railroad tracks and 862 buildings, including concrete Quonset-shaped storage bunkers that provided constant 50-degree storage conditions.[4] These were built using asbestos-containing cement, and so was the housing for senior staff and military officers,[5] which also made use of asbestos insulation in plumbing, pipes, electrical, and boiler materials, and asbestos-contaminated ceiling and floor tiles. Additionally, the site’s history includes remanufacturing a variety of military vehicles, tanks, and combat vehicles between 1949 and the early 1970s, which could have exposed service members to asbestos in brake linings and other parts.[3]
The extensive use of asbestos at the site has been made evident by numerous discoveries and incidents over the years, including the need for an expensive, multi-pronged, multi-year asbestos remediation project after building 576 at the site was completely consumed by fire. Inspection of the building, which was constructed in the 1940s, identified a tar-like substance that was created when building materials had melted during the fire and trapped asbestos fibers. The same project revealed asbestos-containing asphalt surrounding the concrete slab.[6]
Notably, as recently as 2023, the U.S. Army reported that an environmental physical scientist working on the hazardous waste program at Pueblo Chemical Depot had resulted in the disposal of four million pounds of asbestos in the second quarter of the year, closing out an annual total of 54 million pounds of the carcinogenic material.[7]
Asbestos-containing materials used at Pueblo Chemical Depot included:
- Adhesives
- Vehicle and tank brakes and parts
- Caulking
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement board and foundations
- Drywall
- Electrical wiring
- Epoxies
- Fireproofing materials
- Floor tiles
- Gaskets
- HVAC systems
- Insulation materials
- Metal doors
- Orange peel texture
- Paneling
- Pipes
- Plumbing
- Roofing shingles
- Sealants
- Siding
- Soundproofing
- Valves
- Wallboard
- Window glazing
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Pueblo Chemical Depot?
Over its eighty-year history, asbestos at the Pueblo Chemical Depot exposed thousands of service members, veterans, employees, contractors and subcontractors, and their family members to the risk of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. At the time that the site was constructed in 1942, asbestos was considered the smartest component for added strength, insulation, and fireproofing, all of which were needed to secure the dangerous munitions that the site was used to store and protect.
The people who were involved in constructing, maintaining, and working at Pueblo Chemical Depot were all at risk of asbestos exposure, whether during construction, maintenance and repair, or the day-to-day wear and tear of materials that released the microscopic fibers into the air, where it could be ingested or inhaled. Additionally, any of those who were on the site as members of the military or performing work tasks may have carried the asbestos fibers they were exposed to into their homes, leading to secondary asbestos exposure of their family members.
Those who were most at risk of asbestos exposure at Pueblo Chemical Depot include Army veterans and Air Force veterans, as well as individuals tasked with the following jobs:
- Electricians
- Contractors
- Construction Workers
- Roofers
- Carpenters
- Boiler Workers
- Pipefitters
- Inventory control personnel
Even after the site was no longer in active use, the presence of deteriorating asbestos in abandoned buildings has continued to pose a risk to those on the site and to those involved in asbestos abatement activities aimed at preparing the site for turnover to the Pueblo community.
Were You Exposed to Asbestos at Pueblo Chemical Depot?
Though the Pueblo Chemical Depot was officially decommissioned after the completion of the stockpile destruction and deactivated in September 2024, the site is still actively involved in the closure and demolition of the remaining physical plant. Anybody who has been on the site from its earliest days to the present may have been exposed to asbestos fibers and at risk for asbestos-related diseases, and being symptom-free today is not a guarantee of future health. Malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases have long latency periods, making it essential that you take respiratory and gastrointestinal issues seriously and alert your healthcare professional of your history of exposure. The more you know about the danger signs and the better prepared your doctor is, the more quickly you will be able to respond, get diagnosed, and begin treatment should you develop one of these diseases.
Have You Been Diagnosed with an Asbestos-related Disease?
A diagnosis of asbestos-related lung cancer or malignant mesothelioma is frightening, and it’s perfectly understandable to try to put off deciding on legal action, but doing so is not in your best interest. No matter where you live in the United States, your state has what is known as a statute of limitations. This is a law that imposes a deadline on your ability to take legal action against those responsible for exposing you to asbestos. Many asbestos companies knew the dangers of the materials they were selling the military, but they chose to stay quiet so they could keep earning big profits. Those companies have been ordered to pay millions of dollars in compensation to veterans and others who they exposed to the risk of illness and death, but you will only be able to take advantage of that possibility if you act before the deadline.
If you’re a veteran who was exposed to asbestos at Pueblo Chemical Depot, you may want to start by filing a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate your eligibility for special disability compensation and treatment at any of the VA’s high-quality treatment centers; some specialize in mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer care.
Whether you’re a veteran, a civilian employee or contractor, or a family member who’s been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease after exposure to asbestos from Pueblo Chemical Depot, an experienced asbestos attorney can provide you with all the information you need about potential compensation. You may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the asbestos companies whose products led to your illness or to file a claim against one of the many asbestos trust funds established by companies that have been forced into bankruptcy by their asbestos liabilities.
Mesothelioma lawyers have the resources and information you need. They will evaluate your situation, explain your options, and give you the guidance you need to move forward with confidence.
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