Test results that show two civilian guards at the Umatilla Chemical Depot were not exposed to sarin nerve agent provide relief, but still are no excuse for delays in notifying state and county officials about the incident.

It took depot officials four days to tell the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Morrow and Umatilla counties that the depot was investigating the possible sarin exposure.

The investigation began Oct. 15 when guards who were checking a bunker containing weapons with a history of leaking noticed a metallic taste in their mouths and smelled a sulfuric, rotten egg odor. One of the men developed a runny nose, which is a symptom of sarin exposure.

Medical staff checked the guards and found no immediate sign of sarin exposure. Because they didn't suspect sarin was the culprit, depot officials didn't see any need to rush blood test results, which can be processed in four hours. Instead, they waited to get the results three days later.

Perhaps if they had obtained the results sooner, depot officials would have thought to notify state and county officials earlier. The results showed the guards had low levels of cholinesterase, which can indicate exposure to something as dangerous as sarin or as relatively innocuous as pesticide.

The same day, Oct. 18, the depot took urine samples and additional blood samples, but still didn't notify state and county officials of the investigation. The second blood test immediately showed the levels had returned to normal, but the results of the urine tests that could further rule out sarin exposure were a week away from being available.

Depot Commander Lt. Col. David "Doc" Holliday finally notified state and county officials of the investigation Oct. 19.

The Army quibbles about whether anyone can call the lag a delay since depot officials never confirmed sarin exposure. But the fact that the investigation was happening was reason itself for notification.

The depot has had a duty to keep the neighboring community in the loop about possible problems ever since it became the repository for 7.4 million pounds of nerve and mustard agent, a duty it generally has met. The Army routinely has reported leaks at the depot for years, with no ensuing public panic.

Continuing to be as upfront with the community as possible has never been more imperative than now, with the depot's new incinerator fired up and burning agent. Destruction of the agent will be a boon to public safety, but until it is complete, the community is appropriately apprehensive.

The federal government has spent years and millions of dollars making sure depot neighbors would be notified and prepared for a problem at the depot.

But that work provides little reassurance to depot neighbors if they don't see depot officials making use of it. Only by reporting possible problems will the Army prove to the community that it would be forthcoming if actual problems were to occur.