Safety

Fumes from suicide attempt force shutdown of ER

Emergency Management Alert, February 20, 2003

Fumes from a man who ingested insecticides or pesticides in an apparent suicide attempt caused a Kansas City hospital emergency room to close for more than three hours on February 12, the Associated Press reports.

The man was taken to St. Joseph Health Center after his wife found him ill, authorities said. Medical workers wearing hazardous material suits decontaminated the man before entering the hospital.

But the fumes from his breath and bodily fluids were so strong that the facility decided to stop taking new emergency patients, said Nicki Carlton, the hospital's director of emergency services.

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