The group of eleven soldiers who fell ill at Fort Bliss on Thursday felt ill from drinking ethylene glycol, the main antifreeze chemical, the army said Friday. Army officials said it appears Texas soldiers, who showed “significant improvement” in their health overnight, were believed to be drinking alcohol.
“On January 28, 11 Fort Bliss soldiers were injured after ingesting an unknown substance during a field training exercise. Early reports indicate that soldiers consumed the substance thinking they were drinking an alcoholic beverage,” he said. said Lieutenant Colonel Allie Payne. Payne noted that soldiers are not allowed to drink alcohol on duty or during training exercises.
“Early laboratory evaluations indicate that soldiers experience ethylene glycol poisoning,” Payne said. He later added that “laboratory results contain an indication of the toxic substance commonly referred to. [as] antifreeze “.
Payne said the soldiers, assigned to the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, ingested the substance on the last day of a 10-day field training exercise, after completing the exercise.
Soldiers sought treatment at Army Medical Center William Beaumont that morning, Payne said. All of them remain at the center, although they are expected to be released until four Fridays later. Two soldiers who were in critical condition on Thursday remain “seriously ill” and are in the ICU, he said.
But Colonel Shawna Scully, the medical center’s deputy commander, said the 11 showed signs of “significant improvement” overnight. One soldier was extubated on Friday and they were all doing “incredibly well,” Scully said.
The army is investigating the incident. When asked if those involved were disciplined, Payne said the army’s priority is to treat the wounded soldiers. These eleven soldiers are the only ones believed to have ingested the liquid, he said.
Ethylene glycol intake can cause immediate kidney damage and ingestion of sufficiently high amounts can lead to organ failure, Scully said. It is not clear how much substance each soldier ingested.