March 12 (UPI) -- A California fertility clinic said a nitrogen failure may have damaged frozen eggs and embryos, while clients filed a lawsuit in Cleveland for a similar malfunction.
The Pacific Fertility Clinic of La Jolla, Calif., acknowledged on Sunday that an undisclosed number of frozen human eggs and embryos, stored in nitrogen for future use, may have been damaged or rendered unusable. A March 4 liquid nitrogen failure in a storage tank was blamed for the loss of the genetic material.
In a statement, Pacific Fertility said that "the vast majority of the eggs and embryos in the lab were unaffected, and the facility is operating securely."
About 500 people, who had eggs or embryos stored in the affected tank, were notified, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.
Related
An unrelated but similar incident was reported last week. Officials at University Hospital Fertility Center in Cleveland said that a storage tank failure may have damaged about 2,000 eggs and embryos. Amber and Elliott Ash, whose two stored embryos were lost, filed a class-action lawsuit against the hospital on Sunday.
"In what can only be characterized as gross negligence and an utter breach of trust, decency, and responsible stewardship, Defendants destroyed the hopes, dreams, and futures of hundreds, if not thousands, of prospective Ohio parents and families," the lawsuit reads in part.
The Ashes are seeking at least $25,000 in damages. The lawsuit says the hospital has notified some patients whether the stored eggs and embryos remain viable. Some patients, the lawsuit says, have been informed that the stored material is unusable.
