One person was sent to the hospital and seven other people were treated at the scene at the Koch Foods poultry plant in Fairfield, Ohio, after a chemical spill incident that occurred on June 21.
Meanwhile, five workers at a Tyson Foods plant in Springdale, Arkansas, who were hospitalized after another chemical spill on June 18 have been released.
Koch Foods incident
The chemical spill at the Koch Foods plant occurred when a chemical company employee was filling a tank, but a foaming acid and bleach were mistakenly mixed, which created a respiratory irritant, according to a Journal-News report.
A portion of the building was evacuated, but the situation was handled quickly, and production at the facility was not interrupted, Fairfield Fire Chief Don Bennett said.
The patients were treated because they had been showing signs of respiratory distress, the report stated.
Fairfield is located about 25 miles north of Cincinnati. Koch Foods, the fifth largest poultry company in the United States, is headquartered in Chicago.
Tyson Foods incident
Five people who were hospitalized after a June 18 chemical spill outside the Tyson facility were all released by June 22, according to a Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette report.
It was previously reported that one person was in critical condition, one was in serious condition, two were in fair condition and one was treated and released.
The spill was considered to be small. Firefighters were unable to confirm what type of substance spilled, but they did say that it was not ammonia. Those who were treated were complaining of respiratory problems and skin burns.
An estimated 1,200 people work at the Tyson plant.
Tyson Foods, the second largest broiler company in the world and the largest in the United States, is also headquartered in Springdale. The company is also a leading processor of beef, pork and turkey products.
