21 Workers Hospitalized After CO Leak at Melbourne Pork Plant

Nearly two dozen workers were hospitalized after a carbon monoxide leak exposed employees at a pork processing plant in Melbourne's west to dangerous levels of the toxic gas on Monday afternoon.

Emergency services responded to the facility on Benn Court in Derrimut around 12:45 p.m., according to Fire Rescue Victoria. Upon arrival, firefighters found that approximately 60 workers had already evacuated the building, with several showing symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure. Paramedics from Ambulance Victoria assessed 28 people at the scene, treating them for effects including dizziness, headaches, and potential nausea, which can escalate to severe outcomes if the gas displaces oxygen in the bloodstream.

Twenty-one workers were transported by ambulance to nearby hospitals, including Western Health Sunshine, Western Health Footscray, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Werribee Mercy Hospital. Officials reported all patients remained in stable condition, though they would require extended observation and reoxygenation therapy due to the risks of delayed complications from carbon monoxide poisoning. "There's a period of observation and treatment, and reoxygenation that patients need...