A leak of refrigerant gas that occurred this week in Temecula, California, should showcase the importance of qualified repairmen for air conditioning and ventilation jobs.
According to PE.com, the leak happened at a medical office just after repairs were made to the A/C system. Riverside County Department of Environmental Health officials said 13 people were affected by the gas leak.
The leak was reported about 2 p.m. Friday, March 6, at 27555 Ynez Road. People in the building, which was evacuated, were complaining of a mist with a "pesticide-like" odor that was coming out of air conditioning vents, the release said.
Those injured showed symptoms including skin and eye irritation and "partial respiratory distress," the release said.
When making any kind of critical repair to your building, it is essential that repairmen who are used have checked every possible problem before restarting the system. In this case, 20 pounds of chlorodifluoromethane leaked out when the system was reactivated, something that could have been easily avoided. Read the news story at PE.com for more information on this incident.