By JEFF MONTGOMERY and PATRICK JACKSON
Staff reporters
07/24/2004

A suspected blister agent in a World War I-era shell found near Bridgeville injured three members of a military explosives disposal team at Dover Air Force Base this week, prompting an investigation by the Army's chemical weapon center in Maryland.

The three active-duty service members reported undisclosed symptoms a day after they encountered a "black, tar-like substance" while attempting to open the corroded munition Tuesday with a small explosive charge, according to a base statement.

One of the three remained hospitalized in stable condition late Friday at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.

"World War I was when they were using and experimenting with various chemical agents," said George Mercer, spokesman for the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. "My understanding is that the people from the Air Force who were doing this either had burns or blisters."

Delaware State Police had asked the base to dispose of the round after a trooper spotted it at about 7 a.m. Monday protruding from a clamshell driveway. The officer was on an unrelated call near Bridgeville, Cpl. Helen Zane said late Friday, and was unaware of the munition's full nature.

Air Force officials issued a prepared statement when asked about the incident late Friday. They declined to name the injured service members or give details on their injuries or conditions, citing privacy laws. Two of those involved were identified as staff sergeants, one a technical sergeant.

"We have an interest in learning what was in the shell,'' said Maj. Cheryl Law, public information officer for the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover. "But we decontaminated the area thoroughly, and there is no danger to the public whatsoever.''

Karen Drewen, a spokeswoman for the Army's nonstockpile chemical demilitarization program at Aberdeen, said other agencies, including the Army or Army Corps of Engineers, may investigate to determine whether other risks remain.

The three team members, assigned to the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight at Dover, were initially seen Wednesday at Kent General. Two were treated for minor injuries and released.

The Army Guardian Brigade at Aberdeen dispatched experts to investigate and identify the 75 mm-style projectile, which had been placed in a sealed container after the leak. The group took soil samples for further tests.

"Munitions are found from World Wars I and II in places where we may not expect them," said Cathy Kropp, a spokeswoman for the brigade's Technical Escort Unit. "Our agency is kept very busy, and we only respond to chemical and biological weapons."

Drewen said the shell remains in a safe location at Dover, awaiting disposal. Plans are under way to send a trailer-mounted portable unit, called the Explosive Destruction System, to handle the device. The system breaks apart individual munitions with explosions and then agitates the fragments with a neutralizing chemical.

Nearly 100 explosive devices were found in Sussex County driveways between February and April alone, according to state police. Investigators believed the explosives were moved around by a hauler who sold clamshells taken from a processing plant in Milford. Clamshells are a common driveway covering in parts of the state.

Recent discoveries have included 14 hand grenades found at a poultry farm in Laurel and an 8-inch-long finned item resembling a rocket.

Base officials cautioned that anyone finding an unusual or suspicious object should notify civilian law enforcement authorities immediately.