Workers at depot say fumes 'like fire'

This story was published Tue, Aug 1, 2000

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON - Dave Bosley remembers Sept. 15 vividly.

At the time, he was a construction millwright working at the incinerator construction site at the Umatilla Chemical Depot eight miles west of Hermiston.

Now Bosley, who has been out of work for nearly 10 months, is one of 18 Raytheon employees suing the company and the Army, claiming they were exposed to toxic nerve and mustard agent that day.

Bosley said the odor of powerful fumes that nearly knocked him over.

"The pain in my nose and lungs was beyond belief," he said. "It burned like fire."

Pandemonium surrounded him.

"There were people yelling to get out, and I was trying to get through the maze of machinery and scaffolding," he said. "There was confusion everywhere, and it seemed like an eternity before we got out. There were men falling down, crying and throwing up."

Pipefitter Brian Zasso's account is similar: "I couldn't see a thing, and there were shooting pains up and down my arms," Zasso said. "We asked to be taken to the hospital, but they said they weren't authorized to do that."

Both Bosley and Zasso say they now suffer from reactive airway disease. Their airways close without warning, sending them into coughing fits. Neither has been able to go back to work.

Portland lawyer James McCandlish filed an injunction Monday to stop the construction of the incinerator plant until certain safety precautions are taken. McCandlish also filed a lawsuit on behalf of Bosley, Zasso and 16 of their co-workers seeking compensation and punitive damages.

McCandlish says the Army and Raytheon have tried to cover up the fact that mustard and nerve agents were released that day.

Depot Commander Col. Tom Woloszyn and Raytheon representative Chris Early have denied chemical agents were responsible for making the workers sick.

Army spokeswoman Mary Binder said the Army, the state and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have concluded chemical agents were not involved.

 

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