Hospital services at the Health Sciences Centre can return to normal after crews cleaned up a chemical spill in the Thorlakson Building.
About 500 people had to leave a Health Sciences Centre building in Winnipeg Thursday during an evacuation due to the spill.
A statement from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Friday said the spill had minimal impact on hospital services, with slightly longer emergency waits due to the longer wait time for lab tests.
Fifty gallons of formalin spilled into the Thorlakson Building at around 1:30 p.m. March 27. Formalin is similar to formaldehyde - it's extremely toxic and can be flammable and corrosive.
A pipe carrying the chemical broke, spilling the chemical into the fourth floor of the Thorlakson Building. A construction worker may have caused the spill.
Officials are unsure exactly how it happened, but they said the worker may have leaned on something. That worker is the only person exposed to the chemical. He was cleared and sent home.
All other staff and patients were led out of the building safely. Five adult surgeries were postponed and six angiography procedures are cancelled for March 28.
The formalin spilled Thursday was diluted, so officials said the biggest risk was throat, eye, and nose irritation.
