MARCH 5, 2015
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA
A male employee at Kaiser Permanente Irvine Medical Center
was treated at the hospital's emergency Thursday evening after accidentally
spilling a chemical onto the floor and himself, authorities said.
The Orange County Fire Authority received a call at 6:30 p.m. about the spillage in the pathology lab where the employee worked, Capt. Steve Concialdi said.
The employee spilled the liquid chemical, Formalin, on himself and immediately showered and sought treatment in the emergency room. The chemical is a formaldehyde solution that contains a small amount of methanol. It's used for preservation of specimens in a lab setting. Contact with it can cause skin burns and blistering.
The Orange County Fire Authority received a call at 6:30 p.m. about the spillage in the pathology lab where the employee worked, Capt. Steve Concialdi said.
The employee spilled the liquid chemical, Formalin, on himself and immediately showered and sought treatment in the emergency room. The chemical is a formaldehyde solution that contains a small amount of methanol. It's used for preservation of specimens in a lab setting. Contact with it can cause skin burns and blistering.
The hospital called a private hazardous materials team to
clean up the spill. The Orange County Health Care Agency and California
Division of Occupational Safety and Health were notified by the hospital.
The employee was listed in moderate condition, Concialdi
said. CalOSHA is investigating the incident, he said.