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Saturday, October 26, 2002

What was called a "minor spill" of a sterilizing chemical at a health center in Washington, Pa., sent five people to Washington Hospital yesterday afternoon with headaches and dizziness.

The spill of the gas, called ethylene oxide, occurred about 2:25 p.m. at Neighbor Health Center, an outpatient surgical clinic . It's on Leonard Street in Washington, two blocks from Washington Hospital.

An alarm sounded in the sterilizing room of a surgical unit at the center, where the chemical is used to clean equipment.

"The alarm alerted the staff of a possible accidental release of ethylene oxide, a sterilizing agent in gas form," said hospital spokesman John Fries.

Five employees of the unit "entered the room in which the alarm sounded" and later experienced minor symptoms, including headaches, according to Fries.

No one was believed to be seriously hurt.he five employees were taken to the hospital "as a precautionary measure," said Matt Prevuznik, an emergency medical technician with Ambulance and Chair Service, a private firm that helped transport the affected employees.

He said the outpatient surgical unit is owned by Washington Hospital.

Exposure to ethylene oxide can irritate a person's eyes, ears, nose and throat, according to the Pittsburgh Poison Center.

The material can be in liquid or gas form and is used to sterilize medical or surgical instruments that cannot be sterilized with heat. It's pumped into a closed container that holds the instruments to be sterilized.