Suicide chemical fumes causes alert at hospital

The suicide of a shipping magnate caused a chemical alert at a hospital because of fumes from his body after he took an agricultural chemical.

Staff at the Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral had to close its casualty department for more than 12 hours after Sir Derek Bibby was brought in.

Sir Derek, who was president of the Bibby group, was found dead at his Cheshire home on Wednesday. It is believed he had taken aluminium phosphide which creates the toxic gas phosphine when it is in contact with moisture.

A family spokesman said that Sir Derek took his own life after stopping blood transfusions for leukaemia.