Casino hotel evacuated after chemical irritant sickens workers

Friday, Oct. 16, 1998 | 11:42 a.m.

At least 58 employees were treated Wednesday, followed by another 54 on Thursday, the tribe said. All had been released by early today, said nursing supervisors at Central Michigan Community Hospital and Gratiot Community Hospital.

The tribe closed the 518-room hotel about 1:30 p.m. Thursday after the second outbreak of illness was reported. The casino was closed at 10 p.m. Thursday as a precaution, the tribe said in a statement.

As many as 1,100 guests and workers were evacuated Thursday, according to the Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant.

"This is the responsible thing to do," Chief Kevin Chamberlain said.

Tribal officials were to decide today whether to reopen the hotel and casino, according to the hotel's night manager, who asked not to be named.

The employees sought hospital treatment both days for symptoms including nausea, headaches and burning in the eyes and throat, tribal spokeswoman Judy Whitman said earlier Thursday. No casino patrons or hotel guests were affected.

The source of the irritant, which affected workers in the laundry and adjacent employee dining rooms Wednesday and sickened employees in the same laundry area Thursday, had not been identified.

"Because we have no idea what's causing the problem, they are running a battery of tests," Ms. Whitman said. "We have not found any evidence of a leakage or spill or anything obvious. It's kind of frustrating, kind of like chasing a ghost."

The leak was being investigated by the tribal fire department and security staff, with assistance from Dow Chemical Co. experts from nearby Midland.

"The important thing to remember is, we don't know what this is," Chamberlain told the Morning Sun. "I often say, 'This is not rocket science,' but this time it is."

The Soaring Eagle complex, on the Saginaw Chippewa reservation in Isabella County, has a total of 2,900 employees, about 14 percent of whom are Native Americans. The casino was receiving 15,000 visitors a day in June, a few weeks before the hotel opened.