PORTLAND - Paramedics immediately ruled out nerve agents as the cause of a mystery illness that afflicted construction workers at the Umatilla Chemical Depot incinerator site.

That was the testimony of paramedic Glen Phillips on Friday in U.S. District Court in Portland in a case in which more than four dozen injured workers have sued the Army for negligence.

Phillips was one of two paramedics on duty Sept. 15, 1999, when 49 construction workers became ill while building the incinerator plant, which will be used to destroy 3,717 tons of sarin and mustard gas stored at the depot.

Phillips said Raytheon, his employer at the time, had an understanding with the Army, "that if (an accident) wasn't chemically related, we were basically on our own."

"Did you take it upon yourself to determine if chemical agent was involved?" plaintiff attorney James McCandlish asked Phillips.

"It wasn't even a thought," said Phillips, who also works for the Hermiston Fire Department.

He said he was at the construction site's first aid trailer when the accident occurred. He immediately drove an ambulance to the site after being notified by radio.

"I didn't immediately notice people exhibiting symptoms," he said. "But not everyone was accounted for, so I put on an air pack and went inside the (incinerator building)."

Phillips testified he was inside for about 30 minutes before being notified that all workers were accounted for. Incident logs show he entered the building two more times.

Phillips said he also was in charge of determining which workers had the most serious injuries, but questioning by McCandlish revealed that fellow paramedic Dale Ternes, also of Hermiston, spent most of the time during the incident with the workers.

According to incident logs, McCandlish said, it was an hour and 15 minutes after the initial call before Phillips returned to the first aid trailer where workers had gathered.

"During the first hour, Ternes was the only person at the first aid station?" McCandlish asked.

"Yes," Phillips replied.

He said when he returned, no workers were vomiting or convulsing and some were outside smoking.

He added that he didn't see anyone with severely constricted pupils, a symptom of nerve agent exposure.

He said he believed workers had inhaled a toxic substance.

"Primarily because the chief complaint was irritation of the throat, coughing and a metallic taste in the mouth," he said.

McCandlish then asked, "The standard operating procedure in respiratory irritation is administering oxygen, correct?"

"Oxygen is called for, but it has to do with severity of the signs and symptoms," Phillips replied.

"Do you believe the people in respiratory distress received oxygen?" asked McCandlish.

"Yes," Phillips said.

"Do you know how many oxygen systems you had?" McCandlish asked.

"No," Phillips replied.

Phillips also testified he was unaware a safety officer had gone into Hermiston to obtain more oxygen and take one worker to the hospital.

The trial's first phase concluded in February with federal Judge Dennis Hubel ruling the Army was negligent in getting the workers prompt medical attention.

During this phase, which is expected to wrap up June 29, the workers' lawyers must convince Hubel a leak in the Army's chemical weapons stockpile caused the workers' injuries.