Eight at VA Hospital Treated for Nausea After Leak of Fumes
Eight workers at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Westwood were treated for nausea and dizziness Thursday morning after ethylene oxide fumes leaked from a faulty cylinder, Los Angeles Fire Department officials reported.
Two cylinders of the gas, used to sterilize medical instruments, were stored in the basement of the building, two levels below the main floor.
None of the injuries was considered serious and no patients were endangered, authorities reported.
The building’s air-conditioning system and fire-supression equipment were used to disperse the gas, a mixture of 22% ethylene oxide and 78% Freon. Ethlylene oxide can be fatal if inhaled.
The fumes first affected two workers in the sterilization area and then several more working on a tile-stripping job in a nearby hallway, a spokesman for the VA said.
The spokesman said the hospital shut down the equipment after the 5:30 a.m. incident and asked the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration to conduct an inspection.
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