Dozens hospitalized after carbon monoxide exposure at Delta, B.C., farm

DELTA, B.C. – Dozens of people were taken to hospital on Saturday after they were exposed to carbon monoxide at a farm in Delta, B.C.

BC Emergency Health Services tweeted that 13 ambulances responded to “a major incident,” and that 42 patients were admitted to hospital — 10 in serious to critical condition and 32 others in stable condition.

A spokeswoman for WorkSafeBC, which has taken over the investigation, said it wasn’t clear how many remained in hospital on Sunday morning.

The incident reportedly occurred in a greenhouse nursery at Windset Farms, which grows produce such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

The company website says it’s been in business for more than two decades and ships its produce internationally.

Officials speculated the carbon monoxide may have come from the gas powered engine of a pressure washer that was being used to clean the nursery.

Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas that’s produced whenever fuel is burned.

It can cause health problems — and eventually death — because breathing it reduces the body’s ability to carry oxygen in the blood.

Representatives from Windset Farms did not immediately respond to requests for comment.