A quarantine of workers overcome by carbon monoxide

QMI agency

Sunday, 10 December 2017 11:05

UPDATE
Sunday, 10 December 2017 11:08

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DELTA, bc | More than forty workers had to be hospitalized Saturday night following a major leak of carbon monoxide that occurred in Delta, a suburb of Vancouver.

According to the government agency that oversees ambulance transportation in the province, 42 workers of the greenhouses Windset Farms had to be transported to the hospital. The number, 10 were in a serious condition or critical, said the organization on its Twitter account.

Some workers have, however, been brought to the hospital for evaluation even if they had few or no symptoms.

A total of 13 ambulances were needed to transport all the patients in the hospitals in the Vancouver area.

According to local media, the incident could have been caused by a buildup of carbon monoxide due to poor ventilation. An investigation has been opened by WorkSafeBC, the equivalent of the CNESST in British Columbia.

Carbon monoxide is a colourless and odourless gas. Highly toxic, it seeps into the bloodstream, where it takes the place of the oxygen normally carried by the blood. The victims of poisoning have first nausea, fatigue, and vomiting, until finally losing consciousness and dying.