for more information:
Karyn Jones (541) 567-6581
Gary Harris (503) 668-0724
Craig Williams (859) 986-7565

for immediate release: Sunday, December 18, 2000

According to an updated report released by attorneys representing 18 of the 36 workers at the Army's incinerator site in Oregon who were struck down by what the Army claims was exposure to an "unknown substance" on September 15, 1999, "the Army and Raytheon are purposefully covering up chemical agent as the cause of the mass poisoning."The workers attorneys have submitted the Army's testing data and monitor manuals to experts for scientific review. In part they found:

• the Army monitors have a reliability and accuracy to detect chemical agents at levels far below the Army's claimed detection limit and actually validated detections of nerve and mustard agent during the incident;
  
• the Army's validation procedure is needlessly and purposefully limited so as to hide chemical agent detections.

The report cites experts as finding that the Army's monitors can accurately and dependably detect agent at levels 80 times lower than the Army claims. The experts also state that on 9/15/99, "all readings are both reliable and accurate detections of sarin (GB) nerve agent."

Hermiston activist and citizen group GASP president Karyn Jones said, "If this information is correct then clearly the Army and the State have failed miserably to protect on site workers. I don't know if this has been a deliberate cover-up or incompetence or a combination of the two. I also believe that Governor Kitzhaber, the Environmental Quality Commission, the Governors Task Force on Emergency Preparedness and the Oregon Chemical Demilitarization Citizen's Advisory have failed to adequately address this situation in any meaningful way."

In addition, the report states the following:

• although the Army ruled out chemical agent as a cause.....the Army's test results state incontradictably that both mustard and sarin (GB) were detected at the site of the injuries;
  
• these positive detections were never mentioned in any of the investigations of the incident conducted by the Army, Raytheon, or responsible state and federal agencies;
  
• acting in concert with Raytheon, the Army conducted air monitoring in the wrong areas of the building where the incident occurred - records establish they knew the exact location where most of the injured workers were overcome;
  
• the Army delayed the start of air monitoring for over four hours -this delay was never explained;
  
• a principal reason the Army ruled out agent was their claim the wind was blowing away from the construction site - but Freedom of Information documents obtained show the wind was blowing from the agent storage site directly downhill onto the construction site;
  
• Freedom of Information documents obtained also contradict the Army's claim that there were no leaking storage bunkers the morning of the incident showing at least three such leaking bunkers.

At a July press conference, David Bosley, a millwright at the project said, "The Army and Raytheon either lied to us or bungled the handling of the incident beyond belief."

According to Craig Williams, spokesperson for the Chemical Weapons Working Group, "There is now hard evidence to show which it was, clearly the Army and Raytheon mislead Mr. Bosley, the other employees, the press, the Citizens Advisory Commission and the public."

According to the updated report, since July when the initial report was released, "dozens of people, both former and current employees, have called or written to report similar injuries dating back to mid-1997 when construction first began."

Lisa Brenner, President of the Portland-based Oregon Clearinghouse for Pollution Reduction said, "We think it is time for the Army to put the importance of human life above their desire to have an incinerator in Oregon."

"The problem is bigger than just Oregon", said Williams. "There is an ongoing Army effort to conceal worker exposures at the incinerator in Utah that is very troubling. The Army continues to cover up exposures, ignore updated science on health impacts and put people in jeopardy just to keep their incinerator program's image in tact."

Gary Harris, the former chief of environmental permitting and compliance at the Army's Utah incinerator had this to say, " To the people of eastern Oregon --- I am in the fourth year of medical treatment following my exposure to nerve agents and other toxic chemicals at the Tooele, Utah chemical weapons incinerator. The Army has denied my requests for assistance with medical bills, and sent five (5) count them, five law firms against me, just to prevent me from getting workers compensation. I have been unable to work since my exposures at the Army's' facility in Utah in 1996.

Now I see the same thing happening to workers here at the Umatilla Facility. This has to be stopped before there are more and more people in my predicament. If I can be of help to anyone here in Oregon by answering questions, please call me at (503) 668-0724"

Click here to read the McCandlish report.

CWWG Home Page

Contact us: Chemical Weapons Working Group Kentucky Environmental Foundation P.O. Box 467 Berea, KY 40403 phone: 859-986-7565 fax: 859-986-2695 For comments about this WWW page contact Lois Kleffman.