For release: Immediate
Contact: James M. DeAngelis
Melissa C. Berkowitz
(212) 308-5800
Commodore Applied Technologies, Inc. Announces
Chemical Weapons Contract in Japan,
Army Testing Cutback and Dunnage Tests
NEW YORK - August 30, 2000 - Commodore Applied Technologies, Inc. ("Commodore")
(AMEX: CXI, CXI.WS) announced today that its joint venture with Teledyne
Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TDY), Teledyne-Commodore, LLC has entered into an
agreement with Kobe Steel Ltd. to use its proprietary technology for the
neutralization and destruction of recovered chemical weapons found in the
vicinity of Lake Kussharo, Japan. The neutralization and destruction of these
50kg bombs is a project under the direction of the Government of Japan.
The agreement allows Kobe Steel Ltd. to use a Teledyne-Commodore, LLC
neutralization process combined with a persulfate oxidation system which
constituted a part of Teledyne-Commodore, LLC's demonstration as part of the
U.S. Army's ACWA II program at Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. The use of this
system represents its first commercial application for the neutralization and
destruction of chemical weapons.
According to Teledyne-Commodore, LLC President, Peter McGrath, "The selection of
Teledyne-Commodore's technologies establishes Teledyne-Commodore as being able
to provide preferred solutions for the neutralization and destruction of
chemical weapons."
In a further statement, Commodore announced that the Army (ACWA II Program
manager) has issued a letter calling for Teledyne-Commodore, LLC to discontinue
work under its contract with ACWA. The primary reason for this decision was
schedule related. The schedule conflict represents approximately a 30-day
overrun for the SET(TM) agent system at CAMDS, Utah, which would have tested VX.
ACWA has stated its intention to negotiate the continuation of that portion of
SET(TM) system demonstration at Dugway, Providing Grounds, Utah. This includes
energetics, ammonia jet cutting and washout system.
Teledyne-Commodore, LLC has already completed its tests at Dugway using the
Commodore's proprietary SET(TM) process to destroy the residual traces of
chemical agent and explosives that might be found in dunnage.
Dunnage is the waste material left after chemical weapons are destroyed. The
dunnage includes the metal parts of chemical munitions and rockets remaining
after demilitarization operations, carbon filters used to trap air pollutants,
plant workers protective clothing, fiberglass from rocket shipping tubes and
even the wood from the pallets that are used to ship the chemical munitions.
After the chemical munitions demilitarization operations are completed, all
material that may have come into contact or may have been contaminated with
chemical agents or explosives must be treated to the same destruction removal
efficiency standards required of the chemical agent and explosives in the main
weapons demilitarization process.
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The SET(TM) process was demonstrated on five separate common dunnage materials
contaminated with nerve agent simulant; wood, fiberglass, metal parts from
munitions shells, carbon from air filters, and protective suits used to protect
worker involved in chemical agent destruction operations. Teledyne-Commodore is
awaiting the laboratory results of these tests from the Army. Teledyne-Commodore
built a special SET(TM) dunnage reactor system especially for these five
demonstration tests.
According to Paul Hannesson, President of Commodore Applied Technologies, "These
tests are designed to demonstrate the capability of the SET(TM) process to treat
dunnage. Commodore has been operating a full scale SET(TM) plant that has been
effectively removing and destroying harmful chemical contaminates from soil and
similar material for several years. The data gained from these tests combined
with our experience in operation full-scale plants will provide a very sound
basis for the transition to a full-scale operation."
Teledyne Commodore, LLC (www.teledyne-commodore.com) is a joint venture of
Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. (www.tbe.com), a technology solutions company
headquartered in Huntsville, Ala., and Commodore Applied Technologies, Inc.
(AMEX: CXI, CXI.WS).
Teledyne Brown Engineering is a wholly owned subsidiary of Teledyne
Technologies, Incorporated (NYSE: TDY), headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif.
Teledyne Technologies is a leading provider of sophisticated communications and
electronics products, systems engineering solutions, and aerospace products and
components. Teledyne Technologies has operations in the U.S., the United Kingdom
and Mexico. More information about Teledyne Technologies may be found on the
company's Web site at www.teledyne.com.
Commodore Applied Technologies, Inc. - headquartered in New York, NY and traded
publicly on the American Stock Exchange - is a technical and financial solutions
company currently focused on the high-end environmental markets. Commodore is
focused on the treatment and management of high-end hazardous waste from nuclear
and chemical sources. Additionally, Commodore will provide negotiated financial
solutions for complex, long-tail liabilities in the environmental, product
liability, and business interruption markets. Through various subsidiaries, the
company provides technical engineering services, proprietary remediation
technologies, and negotiated financial solutions to the government and private
sectors. For more information please visit our web site at www.commodore.com.
These materials contain forward-looking statements based on a series of
projections and estimates regarding economics within the company's markets, the
industries in which the company operates, the effects of legislation and
regulations, as well as business and competitive outlook.
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