Breaking – Bush in town, people hospitalized

As reported on KSTP, President Bush has just arrived.  Earlier this morning there was a notice of irritating fumes that some described as perfumy, others as peppery, possibly coming from something tossed into a trash can in the area.  19 people were taken to the hospital.

Story below

A security checkpoint was closed at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Tuesday after security officials complained of irritating fumes.

Airport spokesman Pat Hogan said that about 11 a.m. security screeners complained about an odd smell that was irritating their eyes, noses and throats.

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.

Nineteen employees of either airlines or the Transportation Security Administration were taken to area hospitals. All were lucid, conscious and breathing when they left, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned.

He said some of screeners described the odor as sweet, like perfume, with 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.

The check-in counters for American Airlines and U.S. Airways, which are next to the checkpoint, were closed while airport officials continued investigating Monday afternoon.

The incident happened hours before President Bush was scheduled to arrive at 2 p.m. at a National Guard base adjacent to the airport.