Sauerkraut pool fumes knock out two workers; hearing the cries for help, uncles Zheng Antao and his nephew rushed over to rescue them, only to be knocked out themselves before they could save anyone. On July 14th, a tragedy occurred at a pickled vegetable factory in Wancun Village of Doumen, resulting in the instant death of three people and leaving two others unconscious. The owner of the pickled vegetable factory has been criminally detained by the police.
Uncle and nephew both faint while rescuing at the pickled vegetable factory
At around 2 PM on July 16th, at the inpatient department of Gaoxin Hospital, Zheng Antao remained in a deep coma. His brother, Zheng Anjun, looking at his comatose younger brother lying on the hospital bed said: "Although he is still in a coma, compared to when he was first admitted for emergency treatment, he's much better now. The doctor says further observation is needed to determine his recovery status."
On the evening of July 14th, Zheng Antao was sent to Gaoxin Hospital, where he was diagnosed with "acute organic gas poisoning." According to family members' recollections, at around 5 PM on July 14th, 37-year-old Zheng Antao and his nephew Zheng Xiang were chatting in front of a furniture factory next to the pickled vegetable factory. At that moment, they heard cries of "Help!" coming from inside the pickled vegetable factory. They quickly ran over, but tragedy struck. Subsequently arriving villagers saw that Zheng Antao and Zheng Xiang had already fainted in a more than 3-meter-deep sauerkraut pool. Inside the pool were also two workers and the boss's wife. In an emergency, the villagers quickly brought iron hooks and other tools to pull up the five people from the pool.
The boss of the pickled vegetable factory has been criminally detained
After being pulled up, Zheng Antao and the boss's wife of the pickled vegetable factory still showed some reaction, while the other three had no vital signs. The boss's wife was urgently taken to the Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Medical College by 120 ambulance, and Zheng Antao was sent to Gaoxin Hospital. After two days of emergency treatment, although Zheng Antao and the boss's wife of the pickled vegetable factory had passed the critical period, they were both still in a coma.
Police introduced that after the accident, they found a large amount of moldy and deteriorated pickles, kimchi, and a large quantity of additives such as lemon yellow, chili essence, cochineal red, etc., within the workshop. It was highly possible that people inside the pool were knocked out due to illegal use of additives during the production of pickles, which caused vegetables to ferment and rot long-term, emitting toxic gases like sulfur dioxide and methane.
Villagers introduced that the pickled vegetable factory had been processing pickles in the village for three or four years. The boss was from out of town, and the pickled vegetable factory did not have proper business operation permits. On the night of the incident, the boss was controlled by the police.
In the morning of July 15th, personnel from public security, quality supervision, safety supervision, and other departments went to the pickled vegetable factory for investigation and sampling. On July 16th, according to Xi'an Datang Health Network, the boss of the pickled vegetable factory has been criminally detained by the police.
News review: An accident at a pickled vegetable factory in Doumen, west of Xi'an, resulted in 3 deaths from fume inhalation.
Hearing someone shouting "help" from the pickled vegetable factory, Zheng Antao and his nephew, who were more than 50 meters away, quickly arrived at the scene. However, in their haste, they descended into the pickle pool intending to rescue the two already knocked out individuals, only to collapse themselves. On the evening of July 14th, a tragedy occurred at a pickle factory in Wancun Village in the western part of Xi'an city, resulting in the deaths of three people from fume inhalation.
Exclusive revelation:
Black workshops commonly use toxic additives
Yesterday, a former processed-pickle boss revealed that many small workshops reduce costs by adding toxic substances such as sodium sulfite, glacial acetic acid, and lemon yellow to pickles during the pickling process. This insider stated that sodium sulfite is added to keep the pickles fresh and prevent spoilage. Glacial acetic acid is added to increase the sourness, and lemon yellow is added to make the pickled products look more appealing. As for the amount of additives used, it's merely estimated based on experience and conscience.
Xi'an Datang Health Network learned that sodium sulfite irritates the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes and can contaminate water sources. When decomposed by high heat, it produces toxic sulfur compound gases that can cause unconsciousness and suffocation upon inhalation.
Inhalation of glacial acetic acid vapors irritates the nose, throat, and respiratory tract and strongly irritates the eyes. Skin contact may result in mild redness or severe chemical burns. Accidental ingestion of glacial acetic acid can cause erosion of the mouth and digestive tract, leading to death in severe cases due to shock.