Fumes at Twin Cities airport send 19 people to hospital
(AP) - A security checkpoint and two nearby ticket counters were closed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Tuesday after security officials complained of irritating fumes.
One traveler was treated at the scene, but 19 others - all employees of the Transportation Security Administration, American Airlines or US Airways - were taken to local hospitals after they complained of nose, ear or throat irritation. Their injuries were considered minor.
The ticket counters were reopened later Tuesday after tests found the air quality was fine, airport spokesman Pat Hogan said. The security checkpoint remained closed, but five others remained open and air travel wasn't affected.
Hogan said that about 11 a.m. security screeners complained about an odd smell. The airport fire department was called, but could not find the source of the smell, Hogan said. Neither could a hazardous materials team from St. Paul. A third team, from the nearby National Guard post, was going over the territory again.
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Hogan said some screeners described the odor as sweet, like perfume, while others said it was peppery. He speculated the fumes could have come from something a traveler threw into a trash bin while in the security line.
"It is possible it was a discarded item, like pepper spray, or perfume," he said. Two bins were taken away by a hazardous materials team for checking.
People affected by the fumes were treated at three different hospitals, and most were headed for a quick release.
Terri Dresen, a spokeswoman for United Hospital in St. Paul, said four people treated there went through decontamination units. Blood draws and X-rays were done to try to detect whatever sickened the workers, but no results were immediately available, she said.
Ann Zeiss, an elementary school teacher returning home to Los Angeles on an American Airlines flight due to leave at 3:15 p.m., said she wasn't worried about making her flight or particularly fearful despite recent terrorism scares.
"I think it's important that people keep flying," she said.
The incident happened hours before President Bush was scheduled to arrive at 2 p.m. at a National Guard base adjacent to the airport. The president's arrival was unaffected.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
