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Almost two dozen people taken to hospital after carbon monoxide leak in Melbourne’s west
Updated ,first published
Almost two dozen workers were rushed to hospital after a carbon monoxide leak at a factory in Melbourne’s west on Monday afternoon.
Emergency services were called to a pork processing plant in Benn Court, Derrimut, about 12.45pm, Fire Rescue Victoria said.
“Firefighters arrived to find 60 persons had evacuated from the factory, with multiple casualties suffering the effects of carbon monoxide exposure,” FRV said in a statement.
Ambulance Victoria said paramedics had assessed 28 people at the scene.
“Twenty-one patients have been transported by road ambulance to Western Health Sunshine, Western Health Footscray, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Werribee Mercy Hospital,” a spokesperson said at 5pm, revising down an earlier figure of 24 hospitalisations.
“All patients, including those being transported, are believed to be in a stable condition.”
Ambulance Victoria manager Blixa Webster told ABC Radio those in hospital would remain for some time given the life-threatening risks of carbon monoxide poisoning.
“There’s a period of observation and treatment, and re-oxygenation that patients need to go through after an exposure,” he said.
A spokesperson for Western Health said nine patients went to Sunshine Hospital while three went to Footscray Hospital.
“Only one patient is expected to remain in hospital overnight for observation at these Western Health sites,” the spokesperson said.
Mercy Health and the Royal Melbourne Hospital said they were unable to comment on their patients.
Webster, from Ambulance Victoria, said a carbon monoxide alarm and several workers becoming unwell had alerted factory management to the problem.
Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness and headaches, before nausea and vomiting can develop, possibly leading to death as the gas pushes out oxygen from the blood.
FRV said firefighters with gas detectors had found dangerously high carbon monoxide readings when they donned masks and entered the plant about 1pm. They had ventilated the building until the readings dropped to safe levels.
“The leak was found to have come from some meat preservation machinery,” FRV said.
The incident was declared under control at 1.41pm.
WorkSafe is investigating the leak.
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CORRECTION
Ambulance Victoria initially said 24 people were hospitalised, but later corrected this and said 21 people were taken to hospital instead.
Lachlan Abbott is a reporter at The Age.Connect via email.