It's not that anyone is eager to maintain the aging weapons left over from the Cold War. With more than 700 of them discovered to be leaking and a deadline imposed by a 1988 treaty calling for the destruction of the entire U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons, they can't last forever.

Plus, the impact zone around the Anniston Army Depot is the most densely populated of any of the chemical-weapon sites, and residents are concerned.

Some want the Army to continue with its plans to begin incinerating the rockets, starting on a test basis in September. Others, though, favor storing the gruesome armaments a few more years until a better disposal method is developed.

Military officials note that 16.1 million pounds of the chemicals have already been safely destroyed at sites in Utah and Johnston Atoll in the Pacific - nearly four times the amount stored in Anniston.

Dave Baker, a resident of impact zone A-1, favors proceeding with incineration rather than continuing to gamble on more leaks, terrorist attacks or other accidents.

"If the wind was blowing right, we'd have about eight minutes to make up our minds if we are going to live or not," he said.

Mr. Baker is president of Community Against Pollution, a grass-roots organization that is lobbying for better preparation in case of accidents.

Waiting a little longer for a better disposal method doesn't scare Brenda Lindell, who works with the Chemical Weapons Working Group, an international network of activists based in Anniston that is opposed to incineration.

"I'm not sure a terrorist would be interested in destroying a whole bunch of rednecks like us," she said.