Air crew and passengers sickened by deicing solution

The deicing of an Alaska Airlines plane at Sea-Tac Airport sent seven people to hospital on Wednesday.

Travel Insurance News - 25/12/2008

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The seven who were injured were crew members, and they were taken to nearby Highline Medical Center to be treated for minor problems, including nausea, dizziness and eye irritations, according to Sea-Tac spokesman Perry Cooper. In addition, there were 18 passengers who received treatment at the scene.

An early report indicated that two people had been seriously injured, but according to Cooper all of the injuries were minor ones. He added that six of the crew members were back at work and one was off duty.

A spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines, Caroline Boren, was able to confirmed the number of injured and the nature of the injuries. She said that the passengers who were affected were treated with an eye wash, and that none asked to be treated at a hospital.

The incident occurred when fumes from the deicing solution made their way into the cabin of the Alaska Airlines plane.

Alaska Airlines said that its flight 528 was preparing to depart for Burbank, California, when some of the passengers on board complained of a strong chemical smell and eye irritation.

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