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Mortuary workers exposed to 'dangerously high' levels of toxin from Air India crash bodies, says report
A coroner found mortuary staff exposed to 40% formalin and toxic gases after handling Air India crash victims, highlighting gaps in safety monitoring and equipment use.
- Shortly after take-off, Air India Flight 171's repatriations prompted a coroner to find mortuary workers at Westminster Public Mortuary, London, were exposed to dangerously high formalin levels, apparently 40%.
- Because repatriations often use embalming, formalin is a 37% solution of formaldehyde that the UK Health Security Agency says is carcinogenic with prolonged exposure.
- Tests found both carbon monoxide and cyanide at dangerous levels in the mortuary after coffins were opened, as decomposition plus heat and ammonia interactions released these gases.
- The coroner sent the report to government departments and urged action, warning equipment may be unavailable and exposing mortuary users to health risks including `risk of death`.
- Senior coroner Fiona J Wilcox said mortuaries needed to be better prepared and equipped because public and hospital mortuaries frequently receive formalin-preserved bodies but lack routine environmental monitoring.
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Total News Sources7
Leaning Left1Leaning Right3Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
L 17%
C 33%
R 50%
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