Jacksonville airline worker accidentally injected with chemical warfare antidote

Associated Press ^

[RCW2001]

The Associated Press

An airline worker inspecting a passenger's bag Jacksonville International Airport on Friday was accidentally injected with an antidote to chemical weapons.

The Delta Air Lines employee, who was not identified, was injected with atropine, an antibiotic that helps people survive chemical attacks, said Jacksonville Fire and Rescue spokesman Tom Francis.

The atropine was inside a bag owned by a member of the military, who was asking whether he was allowed to take the drug on the plane. The worker was inspecting the bag and explaining that the drug couldn't be taken onboard when the accident happened.

Rescue workers were called to the ticket counter, but the call was canceled when they learned the injection was atropine, Francis told The Florida Times-Union.

Delta spokeswoman Katie Connell declined to give further details. Transportation Security Administration spokesman Brian Turmail referred questions to the airline

[Tennessee_Bob]

If it was an autoinjector, then the airline worker had to work hard at injecting himself.

[Walkingfeather]

Well he will either work really fast on the job or he wont sleep for a few days.

[Experiment 6-2-6]

Accidentally, inadvertantly, and not on purpose..

Meega, Nala Kweesta!

[Tennessee_Bob]

LOL - I remember when I was in the Air Force, we were told that they had to confiscate all the atropine autoinjectors from the Marines at 29 Palms. Apparently, they were using them for recreational purposes.

[Nik Naym]

Atropine an antibiotic? I don't think so.

Reporters: guys who write about stuff they don't know anything about.

Also:

Reporters: guys who are too lazy to go look up things they don't know anything about before writing about things they know nothing about.

Nik

[Walkingfeather]

Boy he just might make employee of the month at the heart rate he is going.

[Polycarp]

atropine, an antibiotic that helps people survive chemical attacks,

Since when?

Why do they allow complete medical illiterates to write anything for the AP related to medicine?

[Tennessee_Bob]

From the USDA's website:

"It is assumed that it is considered a general antibiotic."

http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NationalList/TAPReviews/Atropine.pdf

I said the same thing when I saw the comment in the article, then I figured I'd go looking.

[Bonaparte]

"...was injected with atropine, an antibiotic..."

Atropine is definitely not an antibiotic. It's an anticholinergic. And why the rescue workers were called back is a total mystery to me. This worker could have had fatal convulsions. Sheesh!

[Bonaparte]

LOL! You beat me to it!

[The Duke]

Afrosheen? I thought that went out with the 70's!!!

[pitinkie]

Thats right and an injection of atropine is not benign..granted if it is not intravenous it is less potent.

[pitinkie]

Why is the delta worker in the bag when it is TSA's job for baggage screening.

[Xenalyte]

Afrosheen? I thought that went out with the 70's!!!

Think again, Your Grace!

[USNBandit]

Popping yourself with an auto injector would really hurt. Aren't the atroping injectors meant for deep muscle injection like the thigh? If I remember correctly the original auto injector kit for atropine was three injections which were supposed to be self administered at an interval after exposure to nerve agents. Then the military started questioning how willing a servicemember would be to give shots two and three after feeling how painful shot one was. They then changed it to one shot.

[pitinkie]

Yes its IM...and I think one shot now. Its a potent drug...as a nurse you didnt give it and walk away without monitering the patient.

[vetvetdoug]

Atropine injected as an antidote for a cholinesterase inhibitor would cause: Decreased salivation, decreased secretions in the lungs, increased heart rate, dilated pupils, nervousness, decreased gastrointestinal motility, and constriction of the peripheral vessels. It is used routinely as a pre-anesthetic for the beneficial effects sited before. The dose in the auto-injectors is the same as a pre-anesthetic dose. The only problem I can see is that he would be like Don Knotts on speed with constipation.

[Bonaparte]

"I thought that went out with the 70's!!!"

Well, think about it. If you've just dropped some serious change having your poodle properly coiffed, you want only the best for maintaining that fluffly loft and healthy sheen. Right?

[OXENinFLA]

It seems to me that the needle would have to have been inside some sort of case, and not just tossed in the bottom of the bag like a toothbrush. The Airline worker had to have opened the case and not know how a needle worked. "You mean this pointy thing can go through sink, Wow!"

Also was this the 1st case of someone in the Military carrying that same standard issue item out of JIA? With all the troop movement, I would think by now the airline workers would have been informed about the items Military personnel are allowed to carry on board.