SARATOGA SPRINGS — There were more questions than answers Wednesday following the death of a Saratoga Springs man who may have been exposed to a chemical at work.
"The unknown factor is the biggest thing," said Utah County Health Department spokesman Lance Madigan.
Mauricio Lacayo, 30, died Tuesday after going into cardiac arrest. This happened a few hours after he was reportedly exposed to a chemical at work.
Lacayo worked at Sabinsa Corp. in Payson, a company that manufactures phyronutrients, or nutrients from plants, and other fine chemicals to be used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Lacayo reportedly opened a bag at work Tuesday, and a powder identified as L-selenomethionine (LSM) puffed into his face. He began feeling sick a short time later and went home. He began vomiting and was taken to an Intermountain Health Clinic, from which he was transported by ambulance to American Fork Hospital, where he later died.
Hazmat teams responded and quarantined Lacayo's home with family members and immediate responding officers inside until about 10:30 p.m. The Intermountain clinic also was quarantined and decontaminated with clinic employees inside until 8:30 p.m.
Sabinsa said Wednesday the substances Lacayo handled in his capacity as a quality assurance technician "would not have caused anything like this."
"We are earnest in our desire to learn what caused the death of our friend and co-worker and will do everything possible to aid in the investigation to find the answers," the company said in a statement.
According to Sabinsa, Lacayo's supervisor asked him to measure out a 10.5-gram sample of LSM in order to verify the identity of the ingredient, which is standard practice when materials enter the facility.
According to a safety data sheet provided by the company to investigators, LSM could be harmful if inhaled, absorbed through the skin or swallowed. The treatment called for walking outside, using supplemental oxygen or contacting a physician immediately if a large amount of the chemical was inhaled, according to the safety sheet.
Sabinsa uses LSM as an ingredient in a selenium supplement. Research suggests low levels of selenium can improve immune response and thyroid function, lower mortality rates in some types of cancer and neutralize "free radicals" that damage cells, according to information on the company's Web site.
The company says it ruled out LSM as the cause of Lacayo's symptoms because all of the powder in the sample and in the container he handled was accounted for, meaning it could not have been ingested or inhaled. The sample was turned over to Saratoga Springs police.
Sabinsa's statement described Lacayo as "a good man and a hard worker" who had been with the company for two years.
He is survived by a wife and three children, including an 8-month-old baby.
A trust fund for his family has been set up at all Wells Fargo banks. His brother, Octavio Lacayo, said Wednesday under the advice of the family's attorney that he could not talk about what happened.
The biggest question for investigators Wednesday was whether the chemical contributed to Mauricio Lacayo's death or the timing was coincidental.
Madigan said the Utah County Health Department has determined the tragedy was an isolated incident. The department was not conducting an active investigation as of Wednesday.
"We're going to wait for the autopsy report to see if it was the chemical or if it was a completely unrelated situation," he said. "Until we get the details, there's a lot of speculation."
Likewise, Saratoga Springs Police Cpl. Aaron Rosen said his office was working with the company, but the key to the investigation depended on the autopsy results, which could be a month away. Until then, the case is being treated as an unattended death.
"We're just starting from square one," he said.
A compliance and safety officer from Utah Occupational Safety and Health was sent to the Sabinsa plant Wednesday to begin an investigation, according to the Utah Labor Commission. Even if there was not a fatality involved, there would be an investigation, the labor commission stated.
A receptionist at the facility told a reporter that company officials could not talk about the incident because they were meeting with safety inspectors.
Sabinsa has no prior violations with the labor commission. A spokeswoman Wednesday said it was unclear how long the investigation would take.
Contributing: Paul Koepp
e-mail: preavy@desnews.com