Cheese Factory Chemical Leak Sends Dozens to Hospital

Dozens of factory workers were hospitalized following two chemical leaks in one day at a cheese factory in Greeneville, Tennessee.

Greenville officials said that a total of 29 workers were sent to the hospital after refrigeration units twice leaked the pungent and toxic chemical anhydrous ammonia at La Quesera Mexicana Wednesday morning.

Emergency responders arrived to the factory at around 7:15 a.m. after the first leak was detected. Six employees were sent to Greeneville Community Hospital "as a result of the chemical leak," Greeneville City Manager Todd Smith said during a press conference.

Smith said the leak occurred during the maintenance of a valve, and that the leak "was contained and fixed" after the first batch of workers fell ill and "the scene was certified as safe" at the time.

However, workers called 911 to report a second leak at approximately 10:01 a.m., when an additional 23 workers were sickened and required hospitalization. It was unclear whether the second leak was caused by the same valve as the first.

"The condition of the employees at this point is unknown," Smith said. "An additional 53 employees are currently being evaluated to see if there's any kind of medical conditions that they will have."

Smith stressed that the leak had been stopped after the second incident and that "there is no immediate danger to the local area." Regardless, he's asking that the public "stay away" from the vicinity of the factory "to allow our first responders to work effectively."

Newsweek reached out for comment to Greeneville Police Chief Steve Spano via email on Wednesday.

Anhydrous ammonia, often used to make fertilizer, is a relatively common refrigerant in large industrial operations. According to the American Chemical Society, "many technicians actually prefer to work with it because you can smell a leak quickly," which is not the case for leaks caused by odorless refrigerants.

However, the chemical is explosive when heated and can also cause severe health issues when leaks occur, including skin burns, respiratory injuries and potentially death, according to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manual on emergency leak response.

The EPA manual states that as little as five parts per million (ppm) "can cause headaches, loss of the sense of smell, nausea, and vomiting," while "concentrations above 50 ppm result in irritation to the nose, mouth, and throat causing coughing and wheezing."

"Concentrations of 300 to 500 ppm are immediately dangerous to life," it continues. "People will generally leave the area due to lung irritation, coughing, and shortness of breath. Higher exposures can cause fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), and severe shortness of breath, which may possibly lead to death."