Two employees of an Army research lab at Aberdeen Proving Ground were taken to the hospital Tuesday after possible brief exposure to chemical warfare agents, a base spokesman said. No information was immediately available about their symptoms or conditions.
The incident occurred as a result of a momentary power outage at about 11:20 a.m. at the Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, which works on defenses against chemical weapons. The outage briefly shut down hoods that filter the air while researchers work with toxic chemicals.
The researchers were working with VX and mustard gas, both chemical warfare agents, in different parts of the lab, said Aberdeen spokesman George Mercer.
He said the researchers took steps to decontaminate themselves and make sure none of the chemicals escaped. He added that there was no danger to the public, other employees or Aberdeen Proving Ground residents. Fifteen people at the lab were taken to an on-site clinic for monitoring, officials said.
Mercer said none were observed to be suffering any symptoms related to exposure to the chemicals; however, two asked to be taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
He said he did not know the names of the employees and could not release their names in any case. He said he also did not know what symptoms, if any, they felt they were suffering, and would probably not have any further information before today.
Symptoms of exposure to the vapor form of VX occur within a few seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A low or moderate dose can cause a runny nose, eye pain, blurred vision, coughing, chest tightness, rapid breathing, confusion, weakness, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and abnormally high or low blood pressure, among other effects. Exposure to large doses is lethal, the CDC said, but people generally recover from lesser exposure.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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