GAINESVILLE, GA, (AP) – A liquid nitrogen leak at a poultry factory in northeast Georgia killed six people on Thursday, and several others were taken to hospital, officials said.
At least three of those injured at Prime Pak Foods’ Gainesville plant were reported in critical condition.
Poultry factories rely on refrigeration systems that can contain liquid nitrogen. Firefighters, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the state fire chief investigated the cause of the leak.
“It was a leak of unknown cause that occurred here in the system,” said Zach Brackett, chief of the Hall County Fire Department. “We still have a lot of information that we are trying to collect on the ground.”
When leaked into the air, liquid nitrogen evaporates to an odorless gas that can displace oxygen. That means leaks in enclosed spaces can become deadly by pushing out breathable air, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.
Workers who fled the factory were gathered outside when firefighters responded to the leak Thursday morning, Bracket said.
“Once the units arrived, they found a large contingent of employees who had been evacuated, along with multiple victims in that crowd who also had medical emergencies around the facility,” Brackett told reporters in a televised newsletter.
Beth Downs, a Northeast Georgia Health System spokesperson, said five people died in the factory and one person died in the emergency room.
Nine other injured patients were treated at the hospital, including three in critical condition, health system spokesman Sean Couch. Five were in fair condition in the emergency room. One was still on her way to the emergency room when Couch spoke.
At least four firefighters were injured and taken to hospital with what Brackett described as respiratory symptoms.
Brackett said about 130 workers were taken by bus to a nearby church where they were examined for injuries. Couch said a person was taken to hospital from there.
Hall County school officials said students were safely held at a nearby elementary school during the emergency, but the leak was under control and not in the air. The shelter was lifted on Thursday afternoon. About 1.5 miles of a road leading in front of the factory and the school was closed.
Gainesville is the center of the Georgian poultry industry – the largest in the country – and has thousands of employees working in multiple processing plants.
Prime Pak Foods merged to form Foundation Food Group, a company that processes raw chicken into products such as chicken fingers and chicken pieces for restaurants and food service operations. The company’s CEO did not immediately call back to ask for comment.
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a total of 14 U.S. workers died from nitrogen asphyxiation in 12 workplace accidents recorded between 2012 and 2020.