HERMISTON, Ore. (AP) — The Umatilla Chemical Depot is analyzing whether contact with mustard agent caused a worker to develop a blister.
Greg Mahall, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, says two maintenance workers may have been exposed to mustard gas on Wednesday. He says the workers were wearing protective clothing and a monitor registered only a low-level mustard reading.
Blood has been drawn from the worker with the blister, and it will be sent to a lab for testing. The employee is back on the job.
The Eastern Oregon depot once held about 12 percent of the nation’s stockpile of chemical weapons. It is destroying them to meet treaty obligations. Incineration of mustard agent began last summer, but stopped in October amid environmental concerns. It resumed in January.
