Chemicals hospitalize 173 Tyson chicken workers

[ensho]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/28/national/main20075261.shtml


Five workers exposed to chlorine gas at a Tyson Foods Inc. chicken processing plant are in intensive care and about 50 others remain hospitalized after an accident caused by the unintentional mixing of two chemicals, the company said Tuesday.

The accident Monday at the plant in Springdale resulted in the evacuation of about 300 workers, 173 of whom were treated at hospitals. 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.

-snip-

Human error played a role in the accidental mixing of two chemicals that created the gas as a byproduct of a chemical reaction, said Donnie King, Tyson Foods' senior group vice president of poultry and prepared foods.

The company declined to say which two chemicals were mixed, but Mickelson said the plant does not use chlorine gas.

Chlorine is commonly used as an antimicrobial treatment in chicken production.
-snip-
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two (or more?) chemicals are used to process chickens? yuck.

I'm so glad I gave up eating fowl decades ago.

wishing the workers well.

[daggahead]

1. Who needs OSHA? Damn regulators ... n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

2. The chemicals are used in santizing the plant and equipment, not the food.

I think they said 10 are still in the hospital as of last evening.

[Maru Kitteh]

3. HA! Like it never ends up in the food, along with feces, vermin, etc.

It does.

[murray hill farm]

4. It was..

probably clorine and ammonia that got mixed together. It will create a deadly gas and there are plenty of warnings on both chemicals to never mix the two. Both are used ..seperately..as cleaner and disinfectant in most homes including mine and most likely yours.

[ensho]

5. company said they don't use clorine

nt

[sinkingfeeling]

6. No they didn't . They said they didn't use chlorine gas.

"The company declined to say which two chemicals were mixed, but Mickelson said the plant does not use chlorine gas."

[ensho]

8. sorry, I didn't know there was a difference

nt

[peace13]

7. I believe that poultry can be 'washed' with bleach.

I know that restaurants can do that.

[Aerows]

9. Mix ammonia and bleach

and you get a ton of chlorine. My Chemistry teacher mixed a small amount of both under the fume hood, and we still had to evacuate the chemistry lab and most of the building.

[BOG PERSON]

10. n/m

[SpiralHawk]

11. "Shut up and eat your chem-saturated chickenhawk nugget body parts." - Tyson (R)

[pansypoo53219]

12. just came to me. how many chickens

dropped dead? and are they going to the food chain and is THAT OK?