Chemical spill causes partial temporary evacuation at Lexington hospital

Some people were evacuated from University of Kentucky’s Good Samaritan Hospital early Monday because of a possible chemical spill.

A small amount of liquid phenol, a common chemical in hospitals that can be corrosive and toxic, was spilled in the basement pharmacy around 5:40 a.m., according to the Lexington Fire Department.

The hospital returned to normal operations about three hours later, according to UK. Nineteen people, including five who were decontaminated, were treated for exposure, UK said.

Because of the spill and the fire department presence, the emergency room temporarily divertedpatients to other hospitals if possible.

“The Lexington Fire Department and its Hazardous Materials Unit responded, contained the spill and oversaw the first phase of cleanup,” UK said in a release.

People from the basement were evacuated, the fire department said.

Five people were in the room during the spill and could have exposed others, according to the fire department. No patients were in the room where the spill occurred.

The hospital workers in the room were stripped down to their underwear and sprayed off.

This story was originally published September 24, 2018 at 7:34 AM.