Reply #14: If they had these troops inspecting every nook and crannie search for Chem

[KoKo]

Weapons in desperation....it's possible the Iraqi's have "bug problems" just as we in US do. They could have ordered those soldiers into common pesticide production facilities and made them open every vat and vial and maybe even do testing. With no Iraqi's there to tell them what the facilities were (and they wouldn't believed if they did tell the truth) it's likely the soldiers could have been unknowingly inspecting an Iraqi Equivalent to our local Terminex Bug Exterminating facility or any other innocent domestic pesticide or cleaning product production plant. If that stuff isn't handled carefully it can make one very sick. Inhaling powders or fumes while "hauling" them out for testing? Inhaling powders when opening
vats for inspection? One assumes they had their gas masks on....but what if in the heat they didn't.. And, an article here on DU tonight says the gas masks are faulty anyway.

Who knows......but it's all a mess over there.

On Edit: one of the articles does say "hauling from one of Saddam's palaces." That would hardly be a pesticide producing facility. But, the hauling could have been Saddam's expensive furnishings which could be sold or whatever and the soldier may have had other duties after that which caused a toxic exposure. If it was true Chem/bio weapons then Rummy would be glad to report it......so it has to be something that is more innocent....but deadly.
t.