Posted on 08/30/2007 9:26:05 AM PDT by farlander
Edited on 08/30/2007 9:46:09 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
United Nations weapons inspectors discovered six to eight vials of a dangerous nerve gas, phosgene, as they were cleaning out offices at a U.N. building in New York this morning, federal authorities tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
The federal authorities said the office, in a U.N. building near headquarters, was being evacuated and the White House had been notified at 10 a.m.
New York police and fire officials reported to the scene around 12:15 this afternoon.
A U.N. spokesperson said a statement would be issued shortly.
Authorities said the phosgene was believed to have been discovered in Iraq and manufactured prior to 1991.
Former U.N. weapons inspectors told ABCNews.com that vials of phosgene had also been used by inspectors in Iraq to help calibrate air sampling instruments.
The old Iraq offices?
The old Iraq offices?
Did Hans Brix find them?
Let’s see. Office equipment:
pencils
yellow legal tablets
shredder
phosgene
.
.
.
Nothing on the cable news stations. I’ve got the local ABC affiliate on now and haven’t heard anything.
Well if they couldn’t find it in Iraq how are we suppose to believe they found it in their own building.
Phosgene isn't a nerve gas. It works by combining with water in your lungs and forming hydrochloric acid which damages lung tissue. It does not work on neurotransmitter chemicals.
I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for why someone had vials of nerve gas in his/her office.
I once worked in a chemical plant that made that stuff for industrial use.
Yep CNBC isn’t reporting anything ye teither but the market sold of in a hurry. Bouncing back now.
Richard Jewell’s final revenge.
Why isn’t this all over the cable stations?
Seems a newsworthy tidbit of info..
Had to look the stuff up. Sounds VERY common for industrial purposes meaning the stuff could have come from anywhere.
Bingo. When I worked in swimming pool supplies, we were warned never to mix pool chlorine with pool acid because it would create mustard gas. Phosgene has a similar composition. Both mustard gas and phosgene were used in WWI.
Maybe it’s just an exterminator ... I hear the United Nothings has a RAT infestation
And why were weapons inspectors cleaning out offices?
Update from abcnews.com:
The federal authorities said the office, in a U.N. building near headquarters, was being evacuated and the White House had been notified at 10 a.m.
New York police and fire officials reported to the scene around 12:15 this afternoon.
A U.N. spokesperson said a statement would be issued shortly.
Authorities said the phosgene was believed to have been discovered in Iraq and manufactured prior to 1991.
Former U.N. weapons inspectors told ABCNews.com that vials of phosgene had also been used by inspectors in Iraq to help calibrate air sampling instruments.
The former inspectors said the remaining vials were supposed to have been destroyed.
“If it is properly sealed, it should not pose much of a threat unless it is dropped,” said former New York City emergency services director Jerry Hauer, an ABC News consultant.
“They need to get it out of there and put it in a safe canister,” Hauer said. “It shows immense stupidity to have that kind of thing sitting around as a souvenir.”
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