General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums1 dead, several ill after chemical accident at Buffalo Wild Wings in Massachusetts
Authorities in Burlington declared a Tier 1 hazmat incident after a chemical mixture killed one worker and sickened 10 other people.
Buffalo Wild Wings employee dies after exposure to cleaning agent
NOV. 8, 2019 00:28
Nov. 7, 2019, 8:42 PM EST / Updated Nov. 7, 2019, 11:20 PM EST
By Doha Madani
One person was killed and 10 others were sickened in a chemical accident at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant Thursday in Burlington, Massachusetts, authorities said.
A restaurant employee was rushed to a hospital after being exposed to sodium hypochlorite, a powerful cleaning agent, and died shortly thereafter, Michael Patterson, assistant chief of the Burlington Fire Department, told reporters. The worker told firefighters that he was feeling nauseated after breathing in fumes.
"Anyone who was in the restaurant at the time and believes they may be impacted by the incident should seek medical treatment immediately," the fire department said in a statement.
The building was evacuated at about 6 p.m. for a Tier 1 hazmat incident, Patterson said.
</snip>
irisblue
(32,961 posts)🕯️
zaj
(3,433 posts)What could have lead to this?
Is like to know the details.
TheBlackAdder
(28,182 posts)tblue37
(65,290 posts)very dangerous, and even household bleach should be used in well ventilated areas, because the fumes are not to be breathed in.
sir pball
(4,741 posts)Same as the "concentrated" bleach you can find at the store. We use it at work as a general-purpose cleaner - it's definitely harsher than the regular stuff but certainly nothing that should cause mass casualties. I suspect there was ammonia involved, either unknowingly on the floor or the guy didn't know to not mix them.
pnwest
(3,266 posts)ammonia were accidentally mixed.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)Hope that this is fully investigated and those affected will receive the best treatment available.
MagickMuffin
(15,933 posts)Making AA move because some numbnutz didn't want them seated near him. And now this.
I can only surmise that Buffalo Wild Wings is a very toxic place to eat.
safeinOhio
(32,662 posts)When ammonia and bleach are mixed together, the bleach breaks down into hydrochloric acid. The hydrochloric acid then reacts with the ammonia to produce chloramine vapours. These vapours are extremely toxic and can be fatal if inhaled.
TheBlackAdder
(28,182 posts).
This was back in the 70s.
.
tblue37
(65,290 posts)dangerous all by itself. Household bleach is just a 3%-8% sol.
dalton99a
(81,433 posts)The worker who died apparently was trying to squeegee the sanitizer off the floor after a coworker who started using it was overcome by fumes, Burlington interim Fire Chief Michael Patterson told reporters.
The incident at the restaurant in Burlington began around 5:30 p.m., with workers and customers -- some coughing -- streaming out of the facility as fumes spread, witnesses told CNN affiliate WCVB.
A worker, intending to clean the kitchen floor, put a sanitizer called "Super 8" -- a product with sodium hypochlorite, which itself is a main component of bleach -- on the floor, Patterson said. That person quickly was sickened, apparently by fumes, and went outside, he explained.
A second worker "attempted to squeegee the product out of the building when he was overcome," Patterson said.
Firefighters were called, and responders found the second employee suffering from nausea outside. An ambulance took that man to a hospital, where he died, Patterson said.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/08/us/massachusetts-buffalo-wild-wings-worker-death-cleaning-agent-trnd/index.html
sir pball
(4,741 posts)It's just a commercial brand, nothing that should require special handling. There's definitely more at play here than just the bleach, my money's on ammonia being involved somehow.
Doremus
(7,261 posts)An acquaintance of ours once tried to clear his basement drain by pouring bleach and then ammonia into it. He soon collapsed, was taken to the hospital by ems and died about a week later. Dangerous combination.
Generic Other
(28,979 posts)It can kill you.