SPRINGDALE — A solution of chlorine was poured into a drum of acid inside a Tyson Foods Inc. chicken processing plant in Arkansas this week, causing chlorine gas that sickened more than 170 people.
Tyson Foods and local authorities say the incident, which triggered a chemical reaction that created the chlorine gas, was an accident.
A Springdale Fire Department report obtained by The Associated Press says the plant’s safety director, David Smith, told authorities the chlorine solution had accidentally been poured into a drum of acid used for disinfecting.
A Tyson spokesman has declined to say what chemicals caused the chlorine gas.
One worker exposed to the chlorine gas remained in intensive care on Wednesday and 13 others were hospitalized as federal investigators and the company tried to figure out how two chemicals were unintentionally mixed, creating dangerous fumes.
Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson told The Associated Press that the number of hospitalized workers decreased from 50 the previous day. The accident Monday morning resulted in the evacuation of about 300 workers. More than 170 were treated at area hospitals.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration has opened an investigation that could take up to six months, an agency spokesman said.
The affected section of the Berry Street plant in Springdale is where chickens are slaughtered, Mickelson said. The two chemicals are used in the food safety process. The plant doesn’t use chlorine gas, Mickelson said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlorine gas can cause a range of respiratory problems, from irritated tissue to sudden death from narrowing of the upper airway.
Sudden exposure to chlorine gas can bring on coughing and choking spasms, severe chest discomfort, vomiting and other symptoms, the CDC says.
Tyson has opened a medical clinic at the plant, staffed with a doctor and nurses who are available to provide follow-up care to workers. The clinic will stay open for several days, he said.