One person was taken to the hospital and five others suffered minor symptoms from an irritant in the air Monday at the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
Firefighters responded to complaints of an odor at the shopping mall around 9:15 a.m. Six people described having watery eyes and a scratchy throat, according to a Los Angeles Fire Department alert. Fire officials did not disclose if the victims were shoppers or mall employees.
One person was transported to a hospital; the other five declined after being assessed by paramedics.
Los Angeles Fire Department hazardous materials specialists tested the building and were not able to identify the source of the odor, according to the alert.
“Initial readings are not showing any significant hazard, but the irritant has yet to be positively identified,” the alert said.
Tests for flammable and toxic irritants came back negative. The odor is believed to have been caused by a cleaning product, according to LAFD spokesperson Nicholas Prange.
The stories shaping California
Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
Saumya Gupta is a 2023 reporting intern on the Fast Break Desk at the Los Angeles Times. She was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley. Gupta previously interned at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and is a current journalism graduate student at UC Berkeley. She hates the cold and loves being outside in the sun. Source
It sounds like someone mixed bleach with an acid and accidentally made chlorine gas.
Bleach with ammonia you mean?
Bleach and acid makes chlorine gas, so if you used an acidic floor cleaner or vinegar then go over that with bleach it's a bad time.
Bleach and ammonia makes chloramine gas, so you're right, that's also a possibility. (and why people shouldn't clean cat pee with bleach)