The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — About 30 people were sickened Friday when a Pacific Gas & Electric work crew punctured an abandoned gas pipe and apparently released noxious fumes.
The incident occurred a few blocks from St. Luke’s Hospital and next to the center’s medical buildings housing outpatient offices, hospital spokesman Kevin McCormack said.
The symptoms ranged from headaches to severe nausea,
Most of people affected were visiting doctors or working at the medical-office complex, McCormack said. Nearly a dozen were examined at the hospital, and another 15 were treated at a triage center there. Others did not seek treatment.
said McCormack, who believed all had been treated and released.
“If you’re going to have an emergency, it’s good to have it near a hospital,” he said.
The PG&E workers were installing a new gas line when they pierced the old pipe, releasing an additive that is often mixed with natural gas, according to spokeswoman Darlene Chiu.
The additive, which enables leaks to be detected by smell, is not toxic, but when people are exposed to it in sufficient concentrations it can make them sick, she said.