Questions surround death of Saratoga Springs man exposed to chemical

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.