A room full of batteries that initially was considered the probable culprit also has been largely eliminated. The building, which is designed to contain fumes in case of an accident during operation of an incinerator, has turned out to be a liability during construction, said Lt. Col. Tom Woloszyn, depot commander. The building's design may have trapped construction fumes that otherwise might have flowed out, Woloszyn said. A search continues for the exact cause of the fumes. There may be a possibility that we don't find out what caused it.
Officials say they are confident the fumes are no longer in the building.
Air monitors have failed to detect anything unusual, and three of the project's top leaders spent about 90 minutes inside the building Thursday without problems, Mahall said. Peter Gier, a representative of the carpenters' union in the Hermiston area, said he is comfortable with the Army's statement that nerve gas is not to blame for making the workers sick. We would have seen a lot of them dead. At the same time, he questioned whether fumes from fiberglass or paint could be strong enough to send so many people to the hospital. They just can't seem to find out what the fumes were from. . . .