STINKY

Mystery of Grizzly Odor That Brought Nashville’s Airport to a Halt Is Finally Solved

A chemical odor left travelers at Nashville International Airport confused, concerned and coughing up a storm Sunday afternoon.

A chemical odor left travelers at Nashville International Airport confused, concerned and coughing up a storm Sunday afternoon. After days of investigation and speculation, the culprit has finally been discovered: a can of bear spray, which was accidentally set off by airport custodians after they noticed the aerosol can in a trash bin. Chaos ensued. It’s an unusual case that investigators say they’re using as a learning experience. “We cleared the site to see what the chemical was,” said airport CEO Doug Kreulen. “We looked at 1,500-plus cameras to identify this man and his spouse. We are continuing to track lessons learned from the incident.” Airport officials contacted the man, who said he brought the can of bear spray for a family trip, but threw it away after getting past TSA security. “I’m glad it’s not something extremely toxic,” Melina Psihoutas, who caught a whiff of the spray at the airport Sunday, told The Daily Beast via text. “But I’m still concerned about airport safety.” TSA said the aerosol can shouldn’t have got through their security screening in the first place.