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--> --> Army: Solvent didn't hurt workers HERMISTON (AP) - Officials at the Army's Umatilla Chemical Depot say a bottle of toxic sealant found during a routine inventory could not have sickened 34 construction workers in 1999. Depot Commander Lt. Col. Tom Woloszyn said the chemical in the bottle - methyl ethyl ketone peroxide - could have caused the symptoms experienced by the workers. The bottle, however, was found in a shed outside the building where workers became sick, he said. Winds were blowing toward the incinerator under construction, but not steadily, he said. The substance is a fiberglass resin hardener used to seal tanks that can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, nose and throat, coughing, breathing difficulty, pulmonary edema, blurred vision, blisters, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and liver and kidney damage, officials said. Rick Kelly, a spokesman for Washington Demilitarization Co., the company building the depot's incinerator that is scheduled to begin destroying 3,717 tons of chemical weapons in late 2002, said workers checked items in the shed, but that the label on the container may have worn off. Less than half of the peroxide remained in the 250 milliliter container, he added. The sealant had been ordered to close the nozzle of a fiberglass storage tank. Oregon State Police inspected the sealant, then moved it to the hazardous waste storage area at the depot. No cause has been found for the 1999 incident, though some workers believe they breathed bits of airborne chemical agents. Reports from various agencies offer several theories, agreeing only that a final answer may never be found. Eighteen workers of the 34 who reported symptoms have filed a lawsuit claiming chemical exposure made them sick. The workers were part of a construction crew that is building the incinerator. About 1,000 employees work at the depot and its incinerator site. The Army will use the plant to dispose of 7.4 million pounds of deadly nerve and mustard agents stored at the depot. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing