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Ammonia Leak Sends 40 Workers To The Hospital

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Jun 2, 2009 4:39 pm US/Central

Ammonia Leak Sends 40 Workers To The Hospital

WORTHINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) ― An ammonia leak at a plant in Worthington, Minn. sent several workers to the hospital Tuesday morning.

A Nobles County dispatcher said the leak happened around 10:20 a.m. at the JBS plant.

According to Sanford Regional Hospital in Worthington, they treated between 40 and 50 workers. Five patients were admitted to the hospital and are listed in fair condition.

JBS said some of the workers were unable to talk and had to be taken out of the building on stretchers.

There were no reports of any serious injuries or deaths due to the leak.

Crews fixed the leak from the overhead pipe. It isn't clear what caused the leak.

An evacuation was limited to the area of the leak, and the rest of the plant kept operating. Keys says after the leak was fixed, the affected area also resumed operations.

JBS is a meat processing and packing plant. The ammonia is used for refrigeration.

The plant in Worthington employs about 2,100 workers.

 

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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