The workers of the Toledo hospital have come together to demand that the Ministry of Health of Castilla-La Mancha immediately stop the activities in the Pathological Anatomy laboratory, where more than 140 cases of poisoning and 34 work absences have been reported. The complaints include throat irritations, eye irritation, loss of voice, vomiting, and even neurological problems with loss of consciousness.
Inés Pedreño, the Prevention delegate, expressed her concern, stating: "We are breathing something we don't know what it is." The CSIF union has filed a complaint seeking urgent precautionary measures due to the serious risk to the health of the employees, although they point out that they are still getting sick.
The protests also targeted the Minister of Health, Jesús Fernández Sanz, who denied the poisonings and health problems among the staff in a parliamentary context, despite the issues dating back nearly two years and intensifying in the last three months. Measurements taken confirmed the presence of formaldehyde in the air, a substance used in germ destruction and laboratory sample preservation.
Given this situation, the workers are considering the possibility of going on strike, although they acknowledge the difficulties and propose closing the facilities until the problem of toxic gas leaks is resolved. For his part, the leader of Vox in the region calls for the dismissal of Fernández Sanz for lying.
Meanwhile, the regional Health Service has announced the implementation of additional preventive measures, including the mandatory use of personal protective equipment. Rosa María Salor, a Pathological Anatomy technician, expressed concern that in addition to formaldehyde, there may be other neurotoxic substances involved in this occupational health crisis.
