Chlorine Gas Release Associated with Employee Language Barrier – Arkansas, 2011

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Bernard, Bruce P. ; King, Bradley S. ; Louie, Shirley ; Meza, Francisco ; Mueller, Charles A. ; Page, Elena H. ; Whitlow, Ashley
• Description:
  On June 27, 2011, a worker at a poultry processing plant in Arkansas began to pour sodium hypochlorite into a 55-gallon drum that contained residual acidic antimicrobial solution. When the sodium hypochlorite reacted with the solution, greenish-yellow chlorine gas was released into the small room where the drum was located and then spread into the plant, where approximately 600 workers were present. These workers promptly were evacuated. Chlorine is a respiratory irritant and can produce symptoms ranging from mild eye, nose, and throat irritation to severe inflammation of the lung, which can lead to death. Of the approximately 600 workers who were evacuated; 545 were later interviewed, 195 reported seeking medical treatment, 152 reported being hospitalized, and the plant nurse reported that five were admitted to intensive-care units. The next day, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) asked for technical assistance from CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to evaluate health effects of the release and make recommendations to prevent future occurrences. This report describes the results of that evaluation, including findings from two follow-up site visits conducted approximately 4 and 6 months after the release. Of the 545 workers who participated in the evaluation, three developed reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS), an irritant-induced form of asthma that can persist for life. The worker who inadvertently mixed the two solutions indicated that the drum was labeled in English but he could only read Spanish. This incident underscores the danger posed by chlorine gas and the importance of employers providing adequate training and communication of health and safety precautions to employees. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Chlorine Compounds Food-Processing Industry Food Industry Occupational Health Race Factors Respiratory System Safety Safety Management Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Airway-resistance Author Keywords: HETA 2011-0128-3166 Chemical-reactions Chlorine-compounds Food-processing-industry Food-processing-workers Gases Poultry-industry Poultry-workers Racial-factors Respiratory-irritants Safety-measures Sodium-compounds Training

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• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Arkansas ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Bing, Williamina ; Boaz, Kenny ; Hunter, Candis ; Kawamoto, Melody M. ; Alarcon, Walter A. ; Garza, Elizabeth ; Weintraub, Rachel ; Freeland, Diana ; Tift, Brian ; Spainhour, David ; Beaty, Michael
• Volume:
  61
• Issue:
  48
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041831
• Citation:
  MMWR 2012 Dec; 61(48):981-985
• Email:
  epage@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Sodium hypochlorite (CAS RN 7681-52-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:efe45d8a315f1792d75c5df4c225b59c8b623b1fcd5960dc70f6864c2dcfa743bd7bb5d1c10ef0b0b19656fb20d35718219a3a951a1a8c6ff8d81994b114e145
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183040/cdc_183040_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 285.53 KB ]