National Briefing: Northwest

Published: October 24, 2003

REGON: SUIT OVER HEALTH AT ARMY DEPOT Arguments began this week in a federal lawsuit in Portland about whether the Army was negligent in protecting the health of workers building an incinerator at a chemical weapons depot. The case involves a September 1999 incident in eastern Oregon in which dozens of workers fell ill at the construction site in the Umatilla Chemical Depot. The workers say a leaked nerve agent from a storage unit caused long-term health effects. The Army says its investigation found that regular construction materials caused the illnesses.   Matthew Preusch (NYT)