Smoky odor sends TSA workers to hospital

Several Transportation Security Administration employees at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport were hospitalized Friday after a smoky odor near their security checkpoint made them feel ill.

The workers reported the foul smell at Checkpoint 2 in the Lindbergh Terminal about 9:30 a.m., after putting up with the stink for a few hours. When airport firefighters responded, they found no smoke or fire.

Still, emergency personnel transported the workers to Hennepin County Medical Center for evaluation and treatment.

Meanwhile, TSA officials closed the security checkpoint and shifted passengers to other entry points.

Airport spokeswoman Amanda Greene Guentzel said the odor dissipated shortly before 10 a.m.

"Our fire and electricians are still investigating, trying to find up in the ceiling a source for that order and where it came from through the ventilation system," she said. "It was an electric-kind of smelling odor. So, that's why our electricians are investigating."

Guentzel said no travelers appeared to be ill.

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