Chlorine Gas Release Sickens Workers

An accidental release of chlorine gas Wednesday morning from a cylinder at Pacific Steel and Recycling in east Spokane sickened more than a dozen people there and at a nearby city building, police and fire officials said. Eight of those people were hospitalized in critical condition, according to Spokane Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer. By late Wednesday afternoon, it appeared that only three remained in critical condition, according to hospital representatives. Most symptoms involved respiratory issues. The gas, which was released in a yellow plume just before 10 a.m., came from a 1-ton cylinder that Pacific workers were crushing for scrap metal, Schaeffer said. Shortly after the gas release, Spokane police had tentatively identified the gas as arsenic trichloride, which also has a yellow tint and produces similar respiratory reactions/ Rachel Alexander , SR. More here (subscription needed).

• Chlorine gas released /Jeff Selle, Coeur d’Alene Press