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UPDATE: North Texas Poison Center Helps With Health Concerns After Explosion

Courtney Collins
/
KERA News

Update, 3:40 p.m.: 

The North Texas Poison Center at Parkland Memorial Hospital released a statement saying it has received phone calls from concerned Texans who may have been exposed to chemicals in the air around the town of West, Texas.

Parkland says no long-term effects from the fire and subsequent explosion at the facility are expected; however, mild irritation to the eyes, nose and throat may occur. 

Trained toxicologists, nurses and pharmacists are available to provide free, confidential medical advice at 1.800.222.1222

Update, 12:00 p.m.: Providence Healthcare Network in Waco has treated 65 people from the explosion. Spokesperson Heather Beck says 15 have been admitted.

Beck says the patients are being treated for injuries typical of an explosion:

  • Lacerations
  • Blunt abdominal trauma
  • Respiratory distress
  • Head trauma
  • Broken bones
  • Minor burns

Beck says one patient who arrived last night in critical condition has been upgraded to stable condition this morning. 
Our original post: There are two patients being treated at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, after the explosion at the fertilizer plant in West, Texas.

Dr. Alex Eastman, a trauma surgeon at Parkland, confirmed the hospital received two patients from the incident. Both patients are being treated for blast injuries. Eastman explains the blast injuries they suffered are both “primary” and “secondary” -meaning injuries both directly related to the pressure wave from the explosion and to the flying shrapnel that resulted from the blast.

Both patients are in stable condition. One is in the operating room and another is recovering.

He says both patients at Parkland were far enough away from the fertilizer plant that they didn’t seem to be exposed to any chemicals. 

Lauren Silverman was the Health, Science & Technology reporter/blogger at KERA News. She was also the primary backup host for KERA’s Think and the statewide newsmagazine  Texas Standard. In 2016, Lauren was recognized as Texas Health Journalist of the Year by the Texas Medical Association. She was part of the Peabody Award-winning team that covered Ebola for NPR in 2014. She also hosted "Surviving Ebola," a special that won Best Long Documentary honors from the Public Radio News Directors Inc. (PRNDI). And she's won a number of regional awards, including an honorable mention for Edward R. Murrow award (for her project “The Broken Hip”), as well as the Texas Veterans Commission’s Excellence in Media Awards in the radio category.