Multiple injuries during an ammonia leak in a Virginia food processing plant
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More than two dozen people were reportedly hospitalized following an ammonia leak in a food manufacturing plant in Virginia, United States.
According to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call at approximately 8:36 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, reporting a gas leak inside a commercial building.
Fire and rescue units from Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Prince William County, and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority quickly responded to the scene and confirmed an ammonia leak, noting that numerous individuals had been exposed.
Given the serious inhalation risks and potential for skin burns posed by ammonia, fire crews equipped themselves with protective gear and conducted a swift search of the building. The search verified that everyone had evacuated the structure, according to an article on Fireengineering.com.
FOX 5 quoted the assistant fire chief on August 1:st:
"Primarily, it is an inhalation hazard, so inhaling it is bad, getting it on your skin is bad. It's attracted to moisture, so you may get burns if it's on your skin," Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Travis Preau told reporters at the scene.
"It was pure ammonia that was leaking in this building."
According to the department’s release, the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue’s Hazardous Materials Response Team collaborated with a building representative to pinpoint the leak's source.
Hazmat team members then donned specialized protective suits and entered the building to isolate and control the failed leaking valve.
The leak at the plant in Sterling on Wednesday evening was caused by a failed valve, the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System said in a written statement, according to ABCNews.
When first responders arrived on the scene they encountered a large group of approximately 200 employees who had self-evacuated and gathered on Broderick Drive.
Due to the number of potential patients and the nature of their medical conditions, the incident commander requested a mass-casualty incident alarm. This alarm brought an additional 10 emergency medical services (EMS) transport units, 10 suppression units, a mobile ambulance bus, command staff support, and other resources to the site.
EMS providers quickly evaluated and treated the hundreds of potentially injured workers who had fled the building.
287 employees were reportedly working in the facility at the time of the leak. 33 patients were transported to hospitals and five of them were in serious condition. 17 were in serious but non-life-threatening condition, and 11 with minor symptoms.
This incident follows a different ammonia leak in Boston last week. In that incident, seven people were taken to the hospital after workers accidentally cut into a line connected to an ammonia tank, reports 7 News Boston.
