LATEST NEWS
Saturday, December 4, 2004
Depot workers
cleared after medical tests
HERMISTON — The two workers
who opened a wrong door at the chemical weapons disposal facility Wednesday
night were cleared to go back to work Friday after medical tests showed no
sign of exposure, according to Rick Kelley, Washington Demilitarization Co.
spokesman.
Umatilla Chemical Depot officials halted destruction of sarin-filled
M55 rockets Thursday after the workers entered a wrong door at the disposal
facility and allowed trace amounts of the nerve agent to escape filter units
Wednesday night.
There was no release into the atmosphere, officials said, and the
medical tests showed no trace of contamination with the workers.
Sarin, also known as GB, is a clear, colorless liquid used in chemical
warfare. If inhaled or touched, it attacks a person’s nervous system and
is usually fatal.
Washington Demilitarization operates the disposal facility for the
U.S. Army.
The two unidentified workers, both male and wearing minimum protective
gear, were preparing to test a motor in the heating and cooling system for
the plant, which operates separately from filtering units that clean the
furnaces.