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Employees Sickened By Odor At Itasca Food Packaging Plant

November 28, 2005

About 20 employees were hospitalized after becoming ill at an Itasca packaging company, officials said.

The employees of Peacock Packaging Co. at 1345 Norwood Ave. complained of a 'nauseating smell,' as well as vomiting, burning in the throat and headaches, and were taken to four area hospitals by nine ambulances, said Itasca Fire Chief James MacArthur. The Fire Department first received a call of people getting sick about 7:19 a.m.

'None of the injuries appeared serious,' said Itasca Deputy Police Chief Rusty Vatava. The rest of the company's employees were sent home as a precaution, MacArthur said. The company is a food product packaging business, he said.

Company officials told the Fire Department some employees began complaining of feeling ill Friday, and on Sunday, inspectors checked the company's furnaces but found no problems, he said. When workers went back Monday and became ill again, the company called authorities, he said. Fire Department investigators, along with investigators called in by the company, were still trying to determine the cause of the odor, MacArthur said.