Feds investigate after Ohio worker dies deglazing bathtub

CLEVELAND (AP) - A federal agency says it is investigating the death of a worker in Cleveland who apparently was overcome with chemical fumes while stripping the glaze off a bathtub.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration says it is looking into the Wednesday death of a man who worked for a suburban Cleveland bathroom refinishing company. The worker wasn’t named.

Preliminary reports indicate the worker may have been exposed to methylene chloride while deglazing the bathtub in a poorly ventilated bathroom. OSHA said the worker did not appear to have been wearing gloves or using a respirator while applying methylene chloride to the tub.

The agency says 14 people have died nationwide since 2000 related to bathtub refinishing with stripping agents containing methylene chloride.