The following is text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(SEATTLE) — Coast Guard crewmembers from Station Port Angeles medically evacuated a 29-year-old Chinese man from a 665-foot commercial freighter, Great Fluency, in the Straight of Juan De Fuca, Wash., on Sunday morning.
The man was reportedly exposed to phosphene gas and was safely transported to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles for further medical attention.
At approximately 7:20 a.m., Coast Guard District 13 watch standers received a notification from Great Fluency that a member of their crew had been exposed to phosphene gas, a common chemical aboard vessels of this type.
Coast Guard crewmembers aboard a 45-foot response boat medium launched from Station Port Angeles at 8:07 a.m. and arrived on scene at 8:45 a.m.
The man was reportedly nauseous but able to climb down a Jacob’s ladder without assistance.
The man was transferred to emergency medical technicians standing by at Station Port Angeles, who then transported him to Olympic Medical Center for further medical attention.
