Ammonia At Rogers Tyson Plant Sends 23 To Hospital, About 250 Evacuate

At least three ambulances were on scene following reports of a hazardous material release at the Tyson Chick N Quick plant in Rogers.
At least three ambulances were on scene following reports of a hazardous material release at the Tyson Chick N Quick plant in Rogers.

ROGERS -- Twenty-three Tyson Foods employees were injured, and about 250 evacuated after a suspected ammonia leak at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Tyson's Chick-N-Quick, 400 W. Olrich St.

People who were exposed to the chemical complained of respiratory problems, but were not critically injured, said Dennis Thurman, Fire Department spokesman. One person was unconscious when firefighters arrived, he said.

Ammonia exposure can cause coughing, shortness of breath, irritation to the eyes and nose and other respiratory issues, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In extremely high concentration, it can cause lung damage and be fatal.

Ammonia is used as a cooling agent at the facility.

Firefighters were called because an employee lost consciousness, but less than two hours later, 16 people complained of problems from ammonia exposure, said Fire Chief Tom Jenkins. Symptoms can take time to show up, he said. By 5:30 p.m., the number of people complaining about ammonia-related injuries had grown to 23, according to a news release.

The employees were taken to Mercy Hospital and Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville, Jenkins said. Injuries ranged from severe respiratory distress to miscellaneous minor injuries, according to the news release.

Thurman said the leak was minor, and the company did everything they should to stop it. The public wasn't in danger, he said.

The plant was only partially evacuated because the ammonia was isolated, said Worth Sparkman, Tyson Foods spokesman said. The surrounding neighborhood, which includes Heritage High School, wasn't evacuated, said Jenkins.

The leak was stopped quickly by plant crews, Thurman said. Sparkman said the incident wasn't a leak, but an ammonia "smell."

Contractors were doing maintenance work on the plant's roof when a small amount of "an ammonia smell" got into the plant through the air conditioning system, Sparkman said.

"As a precaution, we immediately evacuated about 250 employees," he said. "There were some team members who asked to see a doctor, and they went to the hospital. We're still gathering details, but initial readings inside the plant indicate that ammonia was not detected in the environment."

A full report from the Fire Department will not be available until today.

Outside the plant Wednesday, Tyson workers stood near a fence, smoked and watched firefighters work. They said they didn't know much about what was happening and weren't sure if work would resume immediately.

Drivers slowed their vehicles, rolled down windows and asked in Spanish what was happening. A woman stood outside her house, just across the street from the plant, and pressed her palms to her face.

The factory has had previous ammonia leaks.

A leak in August 2013 led to the evacuation of about 350 employees and sent one employee to the hospital with respiratory problems. Tyson plants in Springdale had ammonia leaks in 2011 and 2012, including a February 2012 incident at Tyson's Berry Street plant in Springdale that temporarily shut down operations.

NW News on 12/11/2014

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