Chemical leak at Saskatoon hospital results in some staff feeling unwell

A hazmat team was called in after staff at City Hospital in Saskatoon reported a chemical leak on Tuesday.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said that around 10 a.m. CST, the hospital called a "code brown," a hazardous material incident,in the endoscopy area.

In a release, the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) said its crews determined the chemical spill was in a non-ventilated room. A machine used to sterilize medical equipment was leaking a "hospital grade disinfectant" called Rapicide.

The hazmat team ventilated the room and cleaned the leaked up"into an over pack barrel and then transferred the barrel outside for further disposal."

The leak was fully contained, according to SHA.

The SFD said four people were exposed to the chemicaland were checked out by firefighter paramedics with no injuries or illnesses present. A release from SHA hours later said a few of the people who had been exposed to the chemicalexperienced minor illness symptoms such as nausea and "generally not feeling well."

The SHA said all the workers exposed to the chemical have accessed care and are being monitored.

The emergency room operations were unaffected by the leak, according to SHA, and the sterilizing machine is being fixed and expected to be up and running by Wednesday.