Caloocan cleaners faint from toxic fumes

MANILA, Philippines — Two employees of a cooking oil factory in Caloocan were reported to be in critical condition after inhaling toxic fumes from a sewer yesterday.

Limuel Ibe and Bobby Benitez lost consciousness after inhaling toxic hydrogen sulfate while cleaning the grease trap of the Trans Asia cooking oil company in Barangay 167, according to Caloocan disaster risk reduction and management officer James Lao.

The two employees cleaning the open canal five feet deep had just washed the grease trap with water and were going down to clean it when they fainted due to the foul scent, according to the plant operations head Rodel Gomez.

He denied that the victims fainted due to a chemical leak.

He clarified reports that 11 of the employees were also rushed to East Avenue Medical Center for inhaling the foul odor.

Besides the two victims, nine of their employees were taken to the hospital for preventive checkups only, Gomez said.

“There is no chemical or gas leak. We are open to inspection by the sanitation department,” Gomez said.

The two victims who fainted remain confined at the East Avenue Medical Center and were referred to a toxicologist, Lao said.