Six people were hospitalized Tuesday morning as a precaution after concerns of exposure to a toxic gas at a laboratory in Tualatin, fire officials said.

Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue crews responded before 4 a.m. to a building at 11355 S.W. Leveton Drive to reports of a hazardous material call, spokeswoman Kim Haughn said. The company, which makes semiconductors and other equipment, also evacuated 94 other employees in the facility into a nearby building.

Employees were concerned they may have breathed sulfur hexafluoride, but tests showed there was no sign of the gas, Haughn said at 6:30 a.m. The gas is considered an asphyxiant, which displaces the concentration of oxygen in the air making it difficult to breath.

Haughn said the facility contains a semiconductor and other mechanical devices that may have displaced oxygen. A group of employees initially noticed they all had runny noses, then began coughing and wheezing, she said.

The six employees were able to walk around as they were transported by ambulance to the hospital for upper respiratory evaluations, Haughn said.

The company will begin a review of it mechanical system to review how it caused the physical reactions, Haughn said.

"They are trying to narrow down the source which is believed to be a mechanical system," Haughn said. "Their systems at these facilities are very complex due to the nature of their business."

This post will be updated as news develops.

-- Tony Hernandez

thernandez@oregonian.com
503-294-5928
@tonyhreports

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