RSOE EDIS - Situation Update No. 2 : USA - HAZMAT

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service Budapest, Hungary RSOE EDIS ALERTMAIL

Situation Update No. 2 Posted:2010-03-26, 20:45:20 [UTC] Ref.no.: HZ-20100326-25473-USA Situation Update No. 2 On 2010-03-27 at 13:17:36 [UTC] Event: HAZMAT Location: USA State of Iowa West Liberty Foods West Liberty Number of Injured: 16 person(s) Situation: An anhydrous ammonia leak caused 16 meatpacking employees to be taken to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City on Friday. The leak at West Liberty Foods was reported around 11:30 a.m. and originated with a tank on the plant's roof, according to Tom Christensen, assistant chief of the West Liberty Fire Department. He said the employees were treated for anhydrous ammonia inhalation, although no one was directly exposed to the chemical. He described the injuries as minor to moderate. The leak led to an evacuation of West Liberty Foods, which processes mostly turkey. The company said operations had resumed after closing for nearly four hours. West Liberty Foods officials said preliminary indications point to a failed suction header on the plant roof. The header spilled approximately 30 gallons of liquid ammonia onto the roof. A shut-off valve was closed within 10 minutes and the leak was isolated, the company said. Please DO NOT reply to this message: replies may be treated as errors and result in your subscription being deleted. If you have trouble or other queries, send email to havaria@rsoe.hu RSOE EDIS is operated by the National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE), Budapest, Hungary. Because of the complexity of this system and its dependence on other systems, we cannot be responsible for delays or failures in forwarding or transmission. You're receiving this AlertMail because you subscribed for the service. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Contact: havaria@rsoe.hu