10 treated for elevated levels of carbon dioxide at Baltimore poultry processing plant

Ten people were treated for exposure to elevated levels of carbon dioxide during a hazmat incident inside a poultry processing plant in Southwest Baltimore Sunday, according to the fire department.

Firefighters responded to the 2100 block of Wicomico Street around 5 p.m., where 10 people were in need of assistance, officials said. 

A spokesperson said five people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Nearly 100 people were evacuated from the facility at the time of the incident, according to officials.

Elevated carbon dioxide levels detected

Fire officials said the cause of the hazmat incident was elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the building, though they were unable to identify a source for the elevated levels. 

Baltimore Fire spokesperson John Marsh said carbon dioxide poisoning can be potentially dangerous. He said crews cleared out the building, checked the air quality, and checked to see if there were CO2 levels. 

On Sunday evening, fire officials deemed the building safe. 

"It comes up unexpectedly. It could be potentially very dangerous," Marsh said. "It's great we could get everyone evacuated and out and get them treated immediately."

Symptoms of carbon dioxide poisoning

According to the Cleveland Clinic, carbon dioxide poisoning happens when carbon dioxide builds up in the blood. Your body creates CO2 when your cells make energy, and according to the Cleveland Clinic, your red blood cells carry it from your organs and tissues to your lungs, where you breathe it out. 

If your body can't get rid of carbon dioxide, a waste product, it can build up in your blood.

Some symptoms  of carbon dioxide poisoning include:

• Headache
• tiredness or sluggishness
• Disorientation
• Confusion
• Paranoia
• Depression
• Seizures
• Shortness of breath

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, carbon dioxide comes from two primary sources: natural and human activities. 

Natural sources of carbon dioxide include most animals, which exhale carbon dioxide as a waste product, according to the USGS. Human activities that lead to carbon dioxide emissions come primarily from energy production, including burning coal, oil, or natural gas.

Fuel spill cleanup in Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Baltimore City firefighters are familiar with hazmat situations. In June, crews responded to a major hazmat spill in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

More than 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the harbor, which closed several streets in Harbor East, and took days for crews to clean the water.

The fuel spill occurred when tanks for Johns Hopkins' emergency generators were overfilled. The diesel fuel went into the stormwater system and drained into the Patapsco River. 

Johns Hopkins said the tanks of diesel fuel came from a third-party supply to power backup generators at its patient care facilities in East Baltimore.

The medical facility added that it worked with state, local, and federal authorities to clean the fuel from the harbor, while vowing to pay for the damages.

"This is our home, and we are fully committed to funding the cleanup and remediation efforts in the Inner Harbor, including any impacts to local wildlife. While we are concentrating on the cleanup effort, we are also closely reviewing the situation to understand what happened," Johns Hopkins said in a statement.

More than 100 responders from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Public Works, the Baltimore Fire Department, and other contractors worked together to limit the spread of the fuel and clean up the spill.

Gov. Moore said that 10 city and state agencies were deployed in the response efforts. Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said four contract companies worked alongside local and state agencies. 

The spill turned the harbor red due to the dye in the fuel, according to officials.   

"It's the same product as your standard diesel fuel that you can get at the gas station," said Ryan Workman, from Taylor Oil Company in Brooklyn Park. "They just put a little bit of red dye in there to give it that pinkish, reddish hue. It's used for farming equipment, construction equipment, generators, and heating oil."

Fire Chief Wallace said the contract companies were at the harbor with vacuum trucks and boats. The fire department opened fire hydrants in the area to flush the storm drain system and contain the fuel.