Vallejo Food Processing Plant Evacuated After Employees Fall Ill

Nearly 100 people who suffered nausea, dizziness and breathing problems were hospitalized last Friday after a carbon dioxide leak at a Vallejo food processing plant owned by a Novato restaurateur.

The leak occurred at about 12:30 p.m. in the kitchen of Ghiringhelli Specialty Foods at 101 Benicia Ave. The plant is owned by Mike Ghiringhelli, who runs at the Nave Center as well as a pizzeria in Fairfax.

"There are conflicting stories how it happened," fire Capt. Marty Culverwell said.

Ninety-five people were treated at Sutter Solano Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center, both in Vallejo, the NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield and Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, Culverwell said. Twenty ambulances and two buses transported the patients.

Ghiringhelli Specialty Foods makes private-label fresh and frozen food, including salads, wraps, burritos and pizza in its 50,000-square-foot plant for retail outlets, according to the company's website.

Employees were evacuated as a precaution, but Ghiringhelli told KTVU television the thought it was a false alarm.

”I do know when people get nervous and there's anxiety, and that can be a chain reaction," he told the KTVU reporter. "One thing I can tell you about our company is that we do care about our staff."

Ghiringhelli also told KTVU he's not convinced there was a malfunction with the building's ventilation system. “You test the environment when you're working with refrigeration, and all the tests were perfect,” he said.

All were expected to be released from the hospitals, and many returned to work later in the afternoon.

— Bay City News Service