NHS staff exposed to 30 times legal gas limit

As reported by the BBC, staff at a maternity unit were exposed to almost 30 times the legal workplace exposure limit for nitrous oxide, documents have shown

Testing at Basildon Hospital revealed the levels more than 16 months before colleagues were informed The Royal College of Midwives said its members there were considering legal action, but the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust said ‘significant improvements’ had been made.

Routine testing of the maternity suite in June 2021 revealed nine staff members had been exposed to excess nitrous oxide levels during the course of their shifts. Three had readings of more than 1,000 parts per million (ppm) of the gas, while a fourth recorded almost 3,000. The Workplace Exposure Limit is set at 100ppm.

Trust management apologised after failing to notify staff at the unit until October 2022.

A briefing seen by the BBC stated the issue was logged on the risk register, but ‘there has not been proper oversight of the problem and staff have not been informed’.

Vitamin B12 deficiency was highlighted as a potential health risk arising from exposure to the gas.

The whistleblower said some colleagues had described “miscarriages and fertility issues”. The Trust told staff, in a document seen by the BBC, that expert advice was that there was not enough clinical evidence to support fertility issues.

So-called ‘scavenger’ devices have been installed at the unit to purify the air, but a briefing on 23 December informed staff that testing revealed nitrous oxide levels were still too high.

Sir Colin Berry said: “The levels that they’re exposed to I think are very unlikely to cause any ill-effects.”

A spokesperson for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We have followed all of the expert advice provided to us to deal with the issue of nitrous oxide in the air at our maternity unit at Basildon Hospital.

‘Significant improvements have been made and it is perfectly safe for service users and their families to continue to use the maternity unit as normal. We have taken action to resolve the situation and an investigation is under way.

‘Support and advice is being offered to our staff. Mitigations have been put in place, based on clinical recommendations, and we are continuing to keep our staff informed.’