Teen accidentally injected with antidote during drill

A 17-year-old Paris. Ill., youth was accidentally injected with an antidote for nerve agent during a mock emergency preparedness drill at the Paris, Ill., airport Tuesday evening.

Authorities are still investigation the incident, Terry Hackett, Edgar County Emergency coordinator said Friday. He said the mock exercise is part of an emergency preparedness drill to demonstrate how an emergency involving VX nerve agent would be handled.

The antidote injected in the youth was not harmful to him, Hackett said. The teen was taken to the hospital and checked, he said.

"In countries like Israel, homes are stocked with the same antidotal injectors in the event of a terrorist attack," Hackett said. "Victims are provided with it for self treatment. I don't understand how it occurred and an inquiry is being conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health. It was very clearly an accident."

Tribune-Star staff report

Story created Jun 13, 2005 - 11:06:36 CDT