30+ Nurses Report Illnesses at Alaska Regional; State Launches 2nd Investigation

Image source: HCA

The Anchorage Daily News is reporting that Alaska workplace safety regulators have opened a second investigation into air quality concerns at Alaska Regional Hospital after more than 30 nurses reported recurring symptoms they believe may be linked to hazardous indoor air. 

Frontline Staff Describe Escalating Health Problems

Nurses have reported alarming symptoms including headaches, dizziness, rashes, breathing issues, burning eyes and lips, sore throats, and chest discomfort, with many cases concentrated on the hospital’s second floor.

One nurse, identified as “Amy Brown,” described a severe incident: “We’ve had a nurse pass out and fall over on a patient. We’ve had nurses with chest pain and cardiac symptoms that have been to the ER.” She added, “It seems to be affecting everyone a little bit differently, and some people aren’t having any effects at all.”

Many nurses suspect exposure to vapors from the San-I-Pak medical-waste sterilization system or its ventilation infrastructure. Others say they feel discouraged from openly discussing their symptoms or explaining their use of protective gear to patients.

 

Hospital Response, Worker Skepticism

HCA Healthcare, which operates the hospital, stated that it has run “dozens of environmental tests” and that all tests “have come back in the normal range.” It also said: “In an abundance of caution, we refreshed and upgraded the area and disinfected the air handling system.”

Nurses remain concerned that intermittent contaminants may not have been captured. Anonymous health reports filed in October documented “dizziness, nausea, flushing, raw throat and slight brain fog” even while using a PAPR, and “tingling lips, mouth, throat, nausea” while wearing goggles and an N95.

What Triggered the New Investigation

The state’s first investigation closed in July without identifying “discernible violations,” though investigators noted delays in the hospital’s response and that air scrubbers were not in use early in the complaint period.

A second investigation began in September after additional symptoms were reported in another unit. The investigation remains open.

What Nurses Want

Indoor air quality in hospitals is understandably complex, involving sterilization systems, chemical use, and high-risk ventilation needs. When nurses report symptoms linked to environmental exposure, timely and transparent investigation is essential.

Nurses have asked the hospital to temporarily shut down or relocate the San-I-Pak system. The union says the hospital shifted San-I-Pak operations to nighttime hours and that it is trying to “work constructively with the hospital.”

But nurses at the hospital are still frustrated. One long-time nurse put it bluntly: “I was going to try and make it to this spring, but I’ll probably leave earlier than that. I feel like every day I go in, I’m killing myself, so why ask for more health issues?”

Nurse.org will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.

 

🤔 Nurses: what do you think about this? Let us know in the discussion forum below.