Posted at 2:13 p.m., Monday, March 21, 2005
Vials contained pesticide, Army says
Advertiser Staff
About 100 vials taken from a Wilhelmina Rise home and a Sand Island business contained a pesticide called methyl bromide, the Army said today.Initially, the possibility was raised that the vials contained mustard gas and were part of a chemical agent identifications sets used by the Army.
Today, Army officials said they were not part of the Army's CAIS program.
Methyl bromide is used as a delouser and fumigant against insects and rodents in food, tobacco, and nursery stock, an Army news release said.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it is one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. At this time, it is not known why retired Army Col. Ernest Thomas had the restricted-use pesticide in his home, the release said.
The Army's 22d Chemical Battalion spent the weekend assessing the vials using a technology called the Raman spectrometer. The Raman, adapted for the Army's Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project in the early-1990s, tested the vials using a laser technology without opening them.
The assessment team then sent the results back to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., for positive confirmation.
The vials, or ampoules, will now be disposed of in accordance with federal, state and local regulations.
