34 hospitalized after co-worker sprays perfume

[Kadie]

34 hospitalized after co-worker sprays perfume

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

(07-29) 17:43 PDT Fort Worth, Texas (AP) --

At first, fire officials suspected that carbon monoxide or some other toxic fumes had sickened almost 150 people at a Texas bank call center. It turned out that perfume was to blame.

MedStar ambulance spokeswoman Lara Kohl says 34 people were taken to hospitals, 12 by ambulance, after reporting dizziness and shortness of breath Wednesday at a Bank of America call center in Fort Worth. An additional 110 were treated at the scene.

Fort Worth fire Lt. Kent Worley said the incident started with two people complaining about dizziness after a co-worker sprayed perfume. Others reported being sick when an announcement was made that anyone with similar symptoms should exit the building.

Investigators do not know what type of perfume was sprayed.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/29/national/a172042D81.DTL&tsp=1

[AzDar]

1. Must be the same stuff my Mother-In-Law wears.

:rofl:

[Kadie]

2. LOL

I wonder if they will ever say what type of perfume it was. Sure wouldn't be very good advertising for whatever it is.

:rofl:

[w8liftinglady]

4. My Mom used to wear "White Shoulders"-It would bring tears to your eyes if she wasn't careful

[Number23]

19. I take it those were NOT tears of joy. :o)

:rofl:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

27. I got "White Shoulders" as a present when I was a girl.

I think the old ladies would buy it for teenage girls because a)it had no sexual connotations; b)it was in an Art Deco bottle that reminded the codgettes of their youth.

YUCKY STUFF....

[Jane Austin]

33. My mother hated White Shoulders and claimed it smelled like

baby diapers.

This was a long time ago, and I imagine she meant the way a house smelled when there was a baby in residence. Urine - whew!

[KurtNYC]

36. seems like the investigators could just ask the employee

who sprayed it what it was. And if they don't have a sample then how do they know it wasn't a counterfeit perfume with a toxin in it?

[madokie]

38. There used to be a perfume that I can't for the life of me remember the name of

but when I would come near a person wearing it it would take my breath, seriously cause my throat to lock up. I kid you not

[ohheckyeah]

3. Must have been

Tabu.

That's stuff is nasty.

[Delphinus]

30. Obsession ...

that's what's taboo for me. :)

[Wickerman]

5. I think I used to work with that woman n/t

[Fridays Child]

6. Eau de Bombe Sale

C'est tres chic.

[virgogal]

7. Lousy inspectors if they can't fine out what perfume it was. Jeez!

[petronius]

8. How much of it did she spray?

:shrug:

[DJ13]

9. Probably musk

That literally closes off my airway whenever I get near someone wearing it.

[Kadie]

17. Some perfumes really bother me too.

Christmas time is the worst. Everyone gets their new cologne and has to try it out. Then I am on the phone to the doctor getting medicine so I can breathe.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

25. Calvin Klein "Eternity"...

it's like a dagger between the eyes.

[Fumesucker]

10. I'd rather whiff welding fumes than most perfumes..

There are a lot of perfumes that for some reason seem to make my throat close up and restrict my breathing, the stuff in the OP would appear to be a bit more potent than normal.

[Catshrink]

11. Uh-oh.... what company outsourced their perfume making?

[marmar]

12. That was some f**ked up perfume.....

:scared:

[SoCalDem]

13. Could it be....

:rofl:

[Ewellian]

14. Umm...I suspect that the

perfume wasn't the real reason people were fleeing the building.

Have you ever worked in a call center?

[Jennicut]

21. LOL...for 3 years. It had a smell all its own, depending on how clean everyone's cubicles were.

And sometimes you just needed a break from the nutty callers...

[PA Democrat]

15. Maybe she accidentally sprayed pepper spray instead of perfume?

[KDFW]

16. Someone should have told her Aqua Regia is not perfume

:silly:

[Number23]

18. A new Designer Imposters fragrance? I can just see the ads:

"If you like anthrax, you'll LOVE Carbon Monoxide Kiss."

[Gold Metal Flake]

20. Could it be...

[Blue_Tires]

31. lol i was about to post that...

[Ignis]

22. Translation: AXE is beta-testing a new scent.

:puke:

[thelordofhell]

23. Any excuse to run out of a Bank Of America call center

Eau du cheapasscompanythoughtitwouldsavemoneywithnoventilationatwork

[KT2000]

26. Ooooh that is a good one!

and probably right on the money!

[Kadie]

29. Ha!

Very good.


:rofl:

[Brother Buzz]

24. Nine Out Of Ten Doctors Agree....

There's a joke in here, somewhere... :shrug:

[Stevenmarc]

28. And I thought the fragrance terrorists at Bloomingdale's were bad

[malaise]

32. Eau de Bush

stinks

[AspenRose]

34. Giorgio gave me headaches for years....and Poison

Appropriate name, that....POISON

[KurtNYC]

35. Este Lauder's White Linen =

instant migrane then nausea
at least for me

[KatyaR]

37. Ugh--I remember getting a bottle of "Emeraude" for my HS graduation.

I had to get rid of it--every time I took a whiff my heart rate sped up and I got miserable sick. Nasty stuff . . . .