At least 14 women working in an insurance company’s office in central Kolkata complained of breathing problems and had to be taken to hospital after spending less than an hour in office on Tuesday morning, police said.
The deputy commissioner of police, central, Rupesh Kumar, said a preliminary inquiry found that the women “felt suffocated” because of the effect of gas generated from a pest-control drive the night before.
All women except one were discharged after treatment.
“Thirteen of them were discharged after preliminary treatment. One was admitted. She is out of danger. All of them were complaining of breathing problems after inhaling poisonous gas,” said an official at the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.
“The staff entered the office on the third floor of a building at 19 RN Mukherjee Road around 11am and started complaining of breathlessness soon after,” Kumar said.
The matter was reported to the police around 12.10pm. However, by then the women had been shifted to the hospital.
The women complained of “breathing problems” and “oxygen deprivation” when they were taken to the medical college on Tuesday afternoon, a doctor said.
The police said the gas that generated from the pest-control procedure the night before got trapped possibly because of closed windows and use of an air-conditioner.
The pest-control procedure was conducted in the 750 sqft office from 8pm to 10pm on Monday, after the staff left for the day.
Pest-control procedures are routinely undertaken in offices as well as residential buildings. An employee of the insurance company’s office, whose headquarters is on Park Street, is said to have told the police that they did not open the windows on Tuesday morning unlike other days, and instead switched on the air-conditioner as it was warm outside.
“We did not realise something like this would happen. The doors and windows had been closed since last night after the pest control. Today, when we came to the office, we did not realise that we needed to open the windows to let out the gas that was produced the previous night,” an officer quoted the employee as saying.
The police said they had not received any complaint till Tuesday evening.
“We are recording statements of all concerned. We are checking whether there was any crime,” said a senior police officer associated with the probe.
SAFETY TIPS
■ Open the windows immediately after entering a room where a pest-control drive has been undertaken
■ Do not switch on the AC immediately after a pest-control drive
■ Ensure adequate ventilation before switching on the AC of the room where a pest-control drive has been undertaken