Dangerous Chemicals From Iraq Found At U.N. Building
They were actually found Aug. 24th, they didn't learn until today what the chemical was. It's comforting to know that the U.N. is storing dangerous chemicals in the United States and yet have no idea what they're storing.
Vials of dangerous chemicals found by weapons inspectors in Iraq more than a decade ago were discovered Thursday in a United Nations office building near the world body's headquarters in the heart of New York City.
No evacuations were ordered, and there was no immediate danger to the public, a U.N. spokesman said.
Hazardous materials personnel and the FBI were reported at the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission offices at 48th Street and 1st Avenue in Manhattan. The commission's offices are on the building's third and sixth floors.
The material was phosgene, a chemical warfare agent, U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe told a hastily gathered news conference.
The inspections unit said in a statement that the chemicals had been found last Friday as weapons inspectors were closing their offices, said Ewen Buchanan, a spokesman for the inspectors.
Phosgene was used during World War I as a choking agent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
