Worker exposed to carbon dioxide leak at LAX has died, family says
The worker has been identified as 47-year-old Robert Soria of Riverside. He was on a 10-year assignment to conduct tests for a different project, according to a statement from the Port of Los Angeles and Customs and Border Protection.
He died Monday at a hospital, Port officials said.
Soria had spent five months on the job at the airport, inspecting the exterior walls and exterior lighting system before his death. His wife told the station that she was told he had cancer but that the news came as a shock.
A spokeswoman for the Port of Los Angeles and Customs and Border Protection said his death had not been directly related to the incident at LAX.
“We have a deep concern that the incident poses a risk to life or health,” spokeswoman Jessica Byrd said in a statement. “Our department, its employees and its contractors have been fully cooperative and have cooperated fully with federal and state authorities, and we thank them for their cooperation throughout this investigation.”
In addition to the carbon dioxide leak, officials are looking at possible safety and security issues.
It was not immediately clear how the carbon dioxide leak started.
The Port of Los Angeles, which owns and operates the airport, said in a statement that it is co-operating with local and federal investigators and that it continues to provide support to the company that made the chemical mixture.
A spokeswoman told the station that there is a second source of the leak. But that source may require further investigation before it can be determined if it is a risk. That source is also not identified by officials, who declined to provide any details about it.
The Port of Los Angeles and its contractors are working to address safety and security concerns, and to ensure that there is no long-term damage to the area, according to the statement.
The port was asked to provide details about the second source, “to enable federal and local authorities to evaluate and respond accordingly,” according to the statement.
The Port was “assisting with security and safety at the airport,” as it has since the incident, Byrd said.
The California Transportation Commission is also involved in the investigation, which is being conducted by the LA County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, according to the statement.
The statement from Customs and