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Man dies after inhaling toxic fumes in winery
A young worker has died after inhaling carbon dioxide in a winery in the Spanish municipality of Valdepeñas in the province of Ciudad Real.
In yet another winery death caused by such fumes, the worker was found unconscious at the bodega in Valdepeñas DO last week. Athough a medical team was sent to the scene, they could only certify his death, according to reports.
The cause of death was given as inhalation of carbon dioxide released during the alcoholic fermentation of must to produce wine. It comes as the yeasts convert sugars in crapes into alcohol and release carbon dioxide, which in the large scale quantities within wineries can be enough to lead to death within a few minutes if exposed.
Tufo
Dubbed ‘tufo’, the fumes are only dangerous in industrial quantities, with a typical winery generating around 50 litres of carbon dioxide for each litre of wine produced.
In traditional manufacturing of wine, tuferas and chimneys were in place to ensure the release of the toxic gases, but modern equipment for ventilation and sensors to monitor the levels of carbon dioxide are used.
In the past, a candle was used to detect whether CO2 was present, as it highlighted the lack of oxygen in a space. But despite the usage of more sophisticated technology in wineries now, deaths from ‘tufo’ continue.
Previous deaths
Last year, a man died at the Ca’di Rajo winery in San Polo di Piave, Italy after trying to save a colleague who had passed out from carbon dioxide fumes during maintenance work in a processing tank, it said.
The tank had been emptied of wine for bottling, but fumes from the fermentation process remained, impacting the health of the two men, neither of whom were wearing breathing equipment or safety harnesses, according to the fire brigade.
Also last year, two workers died at a winery after being exposed to toxic fumes from a vat of Rioja at the Crespo Zabala winery in Spain. The winery, which is located in the Basque country in northern Spain saw two men in their 60s dying in the incident.
According to reports, one man died after slipping into the vat after checking on the fermentation process at the wine maker’s warehouse. Another man then attempted to assist his colleague and tried to pull him out, but both of them were then overcome by toxic fumes. An additional man, who was also affected by the fumes, was taken to a nearby hospital.
In a statement Félix Solís said: “(The producer) deeply regrets the death of one of our workers at the Ciudad Real (Spain) winery and we would like to express our deepest condolences to the family, who are at our entire disposal.
“At this moment, an investigation has been initiated to know and clarify the circumstances in which such a painful event has taken place. The company is already cooperating with the relevant authorities in this regard.
“We would like to emphasise that Félix Solís scrupulously complies with the occupational risk prevention regulations which are strictly applied in all its facilities.
“Out of respect for the deceased and his loved ones, the company will not provide any further information or comment until full clarification of what happened.”
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