30 Flee Poisonous Fumes in Irvine

Fifteen workers were treated at hospitals for chemical exposure Saturday evening after an aircraft repair plant filled with thick, yellow, poisonous fumes that spilled out of an oven.

About 30 employees were evacuated from Parker Customer Support Operations at 16666 Von Karman Ave. about 5 p.m. after a pint-size can of resin was apparently heated to too high a temperature, county fire officials said.

The cloud of fumes was believed to contain small amounts of phosgene, a county health department spokesman said. Phosgene is an extremely toxic substance that was formerly used as a war gas and has a strong, stifling odor.

The workers were taken by ambulance to four area hospitals after suffering symptoms including nausea, dizziness and respiratory irritation.

“It smelled pretty rancid, like burning hair,” said Craig Hanes, a supervisor at the plant, which is a division of Parker Hannifin Corp., a major aerospace firm based in Irvine.

On Saturday night, the Orange County Fire Department’s hazardous-materials team, wearing protective gear, ventilated the building, which was expected to be safe for reoccupancy today.

Battalion Chief John Howlind, who heads the Irvine-based team, said: “Everything was contained inside the building. It didn’t get outside.”

The resin in the oven was epichlorohydrin, a highly volatile, unstable liquid with a chloroform-like odor that is highly irritating to skin, lungs and eyes.

“When it breaks down, it forms phosgene and carbon monoxide. Phosgene is extremely toxic,” said David Dixon of the county environmental health division.