Safety

Chlorine gas sickens hospital workers

Hospital Safety Connection, June 21, 2006

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Six employees at Hartford (CT) Hospital suffered respiratory difficulties last weekend after they were exposed to chlorine gas in the building.

A laundry worker accidentally spilled bleach onto a chemical used to make soap, which combined to create the chlorine, a hospital spokesperson told the Hartford Courant.

A fan pulled the gas out of the laundry room and into the cafeteria, forcing the hospital to close down the cafeteria and temporarily seal off the main building. Patients remained safely in their rooms, the Courant reported.

The workers who fell ill included two nurses, a pair of laundry workers, a cafeteria employee, and a security officer, demonstrating the wide effect that a chemical spill can have on various staff.



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