Rotten drug fumes leave cop in coma
Posted Tue Aug 4, 2009 7:40am AEST
Updated Tue Aug 4, 2009 7:55am AEST

 
The officers were exposed to the chemicals in March. (User submitted: Boris Reztsov, file photo)
A New South Wales policeman is in an induced coma in hospital after being exposed to fumes from rotting drugs, during an audit of exhibits that were up to 13 years old.

The officer was one of two exposed to the fumes at the Surry Hills police centre in March - when they were moving a bag containing the ecstasy precursor drug, safrole.

He was taken to hospital last week with breathing difficulties, while the other officer has lost 30 per cent of his lung capacity.

The New South Wales Police Association president Bob Pritchard says officers need more training to prevent such injuries.

"They've done what they were told to do and unfortunately they've come into contact with these

chemicals"

yeah i know what i do when i come into contact with these chems

Investigators aren't exactly the brightest stars in the sky. For all we know he saw a bottle in one room labeled "safrole" and assumed it must be the same thing as the powder in another room labeled "sodium borohydride", so he took a sniff.

yeah this article definately has a big "WTF" on it-- maybe its another 'scare' story