LATEST NEWS
Wednesday,
October 27, 2004
Test
results negative on depot guards
By AMYJO BROWN
of the East Oregonian
ajbrown@eastoregonian.com
HERMISTON — Test results
came back negative Tuesday for two Umatilla Chemical Depot security guards
initially thought to have been exposed to a chemical agent while on patrol
Oct. 15.
Urine samples sent to Aberdeen, Md., the headquarters for the U.S.
Army’s chemical demilitarization program, confirmed negative exposure to
a chemical agent, Depot spokeswoman Mary Binder said.
The urine samples were taken Oct. 18, three days after the incident.
Two previous blood draws taken from the guards had conflicting results
— the first test showed possible exposure, the second no exposure.
While the information confirms depot commander Lt. Col. David Holliday’s
assertion last week that he was confident the guards were never in danger,
the incident has raised concerns within the community and the Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality.
“I’m relieved that the results came back negative,” said Dennis Murphey,
program administrator for DEQ’s chemical demilitarization program. “But we
still have issues and concerns about the length of time involved between
the start of the incident and when notifications were made to the off-post
community.”
DEQ regulators are looking at expanding the conditions under which
the Army is required to notify them of incidents.
Holliday is investigating internally why it took him a day to learn
that the guards’ test results were available, according to Binder.
Last week during a Citizens Advisory Commission meeting, Holliday
said he was informed of the incident 30 minutes after the guards returned
Friday, but did not inform local emergency responders until Tuesday, four
days later.
He said did not believe the guards were exposed to chemical agent
and did not rush the results of two blood draws and a urine analysis to confirm
if the guards were OK.
Test results for blood draws typically take four hours.
Murphey said the test results should have been available sooner.
He also said Holliday should have informed DEQ and local emergency responders
when the first blood draw indicated a a slight depression in the chlolinesterase
levels, an enzyme needed for proper functioning of the nervous system and
an indicator of toxic poisoning.
Binder said the depot commander is responding to community concerns
with the internal investigation.
“He takes all these issues very seriously and that includes issues
raised by the community,” Binder said.
The two security guards, both male and civilian employees, were on
a routine patrol when they experienced a sulfuric odor, runny noses and a
metallic taste in their mouths while close to a storage structure filled
with sarin-filled weapons. Sarin is a colorless, odorless nerve agent.
Only one of the symptoms, a runny nose, can be caused by sarin.