HONOLULU -- A box of old chemicals found under a Kaimuki home may be diluted chemical weapons, according to Hawaii military officials. The vials are considered so dangerous, they won't be removed until a military team comes from the mainland.
The woman who found a crate of about 100 chemical ampoules is being touted for preventing what could have been a very dangerous chemical release. Officials said she was smart enough to call for help rather than move them or throw them away. The vials are still sitting on a driveway on Paula Drive.
Hawaii's top National Guard general thinks the vials may contain diluted chemical warfare agents at least 50 years old.
"There is a good chance of some potency. (We) don't know how long it will still be potent after all these years, but we are not taking any chances," Maj. Gen. Robert Lee said.
The ampoules are each made of clear glass, about five and a half inches long and stored in a wooden crate.
The woman who found the crate under her house called the Health Department Tuesday afternoon. The house and two others beside it were evacuated. It's not clear how the crate got there.
Lee said he believes the ampoules hold diluted chemical weapons once used in training chambers to make sure soldiers properly used their protective gear.
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