UPDATE | Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital treats 18 after exposure to tear gas in Darrington

UPDATE | Arlington’s Cascade Valley Hospital treats 18 after exposure to tear gas in Darrington

ARLINGTON — Cascade Valley Hospital has treated 18 people who were exposed to tear gas in Darrington. At 10:15 a.m. on April 28, the Arlington hospital received word that seven patients were en route via ambulance from Darrington, with symptoms consistent with hazardous material exposure. These symptoms consisted of burning of the eyes and mouth, tightness of the chest and respiratory distress. After receiving this information, the hospital's Hazardous Material Response Team was dispatched to the Emergency Department to prepare for the patients' arrivals. The Emergency Command Center was also initiated. Aid and medic units from Arlington and surrounding fire districts began arriving with the patients at 10:45 a.m. The patients were first decontaminated in the hospital's new state-of-the-art decontamination room, and then each patient was treated by medical personnel. In addition to treating the seven patients who were directly exposed, the hospital decontaminated and evaluated 11 EMS personnel. All patients are in stable condition and are awaiting discharge from the Emergency Department.

By Kirk Boxleitner • April 28, 2011 4:10 pm

ARLINGTON — Cascade Valley Hospital has treated 18 people who were exposed to tear gas in Darrington.

At 10:15 a.m. on April 28, the Arlington hospital received word that seven patients were en route via ambulance from Darrington, with symptoms consistent with hazardous material exposure. These symptoms consisted of burning of the eyes and mouth, tightness of the chest and respiratory distress. After receiving this information, the hospital’s Hazardous Material Response Team was dispatched to the Emergency Department to prepare for the patients’ arrivals. The Emergency Command Center was also initiated.

Aid and medic units from Arlington and surrounding fire districts began arriving with the patients at 10:45 a.m. The patients were first decontaminated in the hospital’s new state-of-the-art decontamination room, and then each patient was treated by medical personnel. In addition to treating the seven patients who were directly exposed, the hospital decontaminated and evaluated 11 EMS personnel. All patients are in stable condition and are awaiting discharge from the Emergency Department.

HazMat 61, the Snohomish County Hazardous Materials Response Team, has been in Darrington investigating the material and has determined it to be an irritant, likely tear gas, and not a hazardous material. Darrington Fire District 24 personnel had reported that a dumpster being emptied by a garbage company that morning had begun emitting white fumes or vapors when it was set down.

“Fire District 24 officials notified us that the material in the dumpster was expended casings of tear gas from our agency,” said Rebecca Hover, director of communications for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. “Our civil disturbance unit has tear gas for the purposes of riot control. Periodically, the tear gas cartridges and casings expire, and we expend them by activating them in a safe place and emptying them. This was done recently in the Darrington region.”

On April 28, a package of these spent casings broke open in the Darrington dumpster, and some of the residual tear gas from the empty cartridges escaped when the dumpster was being emptied. Hover emphasized that the tear gas is non-carcinogenic and non-lethal.

“We’re looking into how this package of empty cartridges was disposed of, so we can work to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Hover said.

Cascade Valley Hospital routinely practices emergency preparedness drills, and Michelle Sand, the hospital’s assistant administrator and incident commander, said on April 28, “Hospital personnel working alongside Arlington Fire Department personnel worked seamlessly in the handling of this incident, and clearly have proven that practice prepared us well for the handling of today’s challenge.”