Foul Odors Force 100 to Flee Shipping Warehouse

About 100 workers were evacuated Friday from a commercial shipping warehouse near Los Angeles International Airport after they opened a transport container and were repelled by skunk-like odors, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to Radix Group International’s warehouse on West 102nd Street about 9:15 a.m. and evacuated employees until 12:45 p.m., said Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Alan Barrios. Nearby buildings were not affected, he said. Paramedics treated 15 workers who complained of eye irritation and dizziness. Eight workers were taken to area hospitals. Four were treated and released and four refused treatment.

Warehouse manager Rafael Galban said workers were hit by the pungent vapors while trying to load a 40-foot transport container that had been left at the warehouse Thursday night. “We opened the (container) door and all the smell came out,” said worker Jose Silva. The container was loaded with 15 55-gallon drums of high-concentrate ethyl mercaptan, a toxic chemical commonly used to odorize natural gas for safety purposes. Hazardous material experts later speculated that heat from the sun raised the pressure inside the drums, causing vapors to seep out.