Fullerton : Fumes Force Evacuation of Building on Campus

A mysterious leak of potentially toxic fumes that smelled like rotten eggs forced the evacuation of the Cal State Fullerton science building and sent nine employees to a local hospital complaining of dizziness and nausea Friday, authorities said.

Special hazardous materials response teams from Anaheim and Huntington Beach fire departments searched McCarthy Hall but were unable to find the source of the pungent fumes, believed to be hydrogen sulfide, fire officials said.

After a second unsuccessful search of the building, Fullerton Fire Department Battalion Chief Van Goyne declared the emergency over at 7:20 p.m. But Goyne said the building would remain cordoned off until a more thorough search was completed early today.

Fire officials said none of the nine were seriously injured, but all were sent to a nearby hospital for observation as a precautionary measure. No students were affected, since school is out of session for semester break.

About 50 faculty and staff members were in the building at 2:30 p.m. when chemistry department worker Skip Hines noticed the foul smell near a fourth-floor chemistry lab and storage area.

Hines said he recognized the odor as hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas that is extremely toxic and highly flammable, and he immediately warned people to leave the building. He was one of the six taken to the hospital for examination and later released.