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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spilled pesticide sends woman to hospital

A woman suffered shortness of breath and was hospitalized tonight after some of the pesticides she was trying to purchase spilled at Northwest Seed & Pet on East Sprague. As a result of the spill, the Spokane Fire Department called out a hazardous materials team to both contain the spill and decontaminate the woman before she could be transported to an area hospital, Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer said. The call came in at 4:49 p.m. at the Northwest Seed & Pet at 2422 E. Sprague Ave. Initially, firefighters thought the call was for a woman with shortness of breath. But the call escalated when they found the woman, who was in her 30s, lying on the sidewalk in front of the store, Schaeffer said. The pesticide contained organophosphates, which attacks the central nervous system and taken in significant doses can be deadly, Schaeffer said. “She was exposed to the product in liquid form and also inhaled it. But the amount was not significant enough to cause permanent damage,” he said.