Man Inhaled Fumes At Meat Plant

A 34-year-old Spokane man was sent to Fairchild Air Force Base Hospital Friday for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning incurred while working at a North Side meat plant.

Patrick Sullivan, who is employed at Angus Meat Co., 2810 N. Hogan, was brought to Deaconess Medical Center about 7:30 p.m. Friday suffering dizziness, severe headache and confusion.

Emergency room Dr. Henry Mroch diagnosed carbon monoxide poisoning and contacted fire department officials. They went to the meat plant and found a leaking natural gas water boiler.

The water boiler was shut down. No other workers at the plant reported the same effects as Sullivan, a fire department spokesman said.

Because of possible lung damage caused by the colorless, odorless gas, Sullivan was taken to Fairchild’s hyperbolic treatment chamber. At that facility, individuals are placed in an increased-pressure environment to force oxygen directly into the body’s cells to repair the effects of poisoning.

Sullivan spent four hours at Fairchild in that chamber, then spent the night at Deaconess under observation.