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Fumes leak at Sydney airport
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Noxious fumes, apparently from a cleaning solvent, escaped into part of Sydney's international airport Wednesday, officials said. Ambulance, police and fire crews were called to the departure terminal in response to reports of a "major gas leak," said Andrew Hall, a spokesman for the New South Wales state Ambulance Service. Departing passengers and airport staff reported stinging eyes and difficulty breathing in a part of the terminal that was quickly sealed off. Twenty-seven people were taken to hospital. Police said about 40 people had complained of nausea and breathing difficulties. "Most have been treated with oxygen and saline in their eyes to ease the irritation," said Caroline Hancock, an ambulance spokeswoman. The fumes did not disrupt any flights or airport services, and no Olympic passengers were affected, said Sydney airport spokesman Peter Gibbs. "Olympic passengers in the inbound passenger area were completely unaffected," Gibbs said. Sydney airport is handling its heaviest workload in its history as tourists, athletes and Olympic officials stream in for the Games, which begin Friday. An initial investigation indicated the fumes were caused by a cleaning solvent that spilled into the airport's air conditioning system, ambulance spokesman Ian Krimmer said. "It was a routine substance used in routine cleaning of air conditioning. There has been a minor spillage causing a vapor which has caused discomfort to some people." The immigration area and surrounding duty-free shops on the outbound side of Australian customs were closed for about two hours. Sydney Airport Corp. director of aviation Greg Russell the airport's air conditioning system had been shut down and fans were turned on to clear the air. When the fumes were first noticed, an announcement in the terminal told passengers to stay in the departure lounge until further notice. That restriction was lifted soon after, and passengers were diverted around the affected area to their flights.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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