Posted on: Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Mysterious vials contain old pesticide, Army says
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The mystery of what was inside more than 100 glass vials found in Honolulu last week has been solved, but their origin remains a mystery.
The vials recovered from a Wilhelmina Rise home and a Sand Island business contained a pesticide called methyl bromide, the Army said yesterday.
Methyl bromide is used as a delouser and fumigant against insects and rodents in food, tobacco and nursery stock.
"They've been identified, and everybody is satisfied," U.S. Army Pacific spokeswoman Mary Markovinovic said. "We'll make sure they are disposed of properly."
The Army said it does not know why almost 80 vials of the restricted-use pesticide was at the house once owned by a retired Army colonel, or why the owner of PF Marine at 50 E. Sand Island Road had more than 30 of them. PF Marine declined to comment yesterday.
Kelly McArthur, who now lives in the Wilhelmina Rise house, found the vials a year ago in a box under the house. She is relieved that they contained nothing more hazardous than a pesticide.
"We can all be happy for that," McArthur said. "I've had all my blood work done, and I haven't heard any news, so sometimes no news is good news."
Teams of experts in protective suits collected and packed the vials last week from the two sites and took them to Wheeler Army Airfield under police escort.
The use of methyl bromide is restricted to certified farmers and other professionals. It was slated for a worldwide ban in 2005 under the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to reduce the use of substances that deplete the ozone layer.
The United States in November was among a dozen nations that won continued exemptions from the phase-out. In December, the Bush administration announced rules allowing methyl bromide to be used through 2006.
Until recently, methyl bromide was used in Hawai'i in pineapple fields, said Robert Boesch, the pesticides program manager for the state Department of Agriculture.
Glass vials, or ampules, such as the ones found at the home haven't been made since the late 1950s, he said.
The Army's 22nd Chemical Battalion spent the weekend assessing the vials using a laser technology. The results were sent to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., for confirmation.
Initially, the possibility was raised that they contained mustard gas and were part of chemical agent identifications sets used by the Army. Similar vials were used to train soldiers in the safe handling, identification and decontamination of chemical warfare agents, according to the Army. Approximately 110,000 sets were produced between 1928 and 1969 and used nationwide.
Markovinovic said there were no markings on the vials to indicate where they originated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach James Gonser at 535-2431 or jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.
