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Massive chemical spill at MGP Ingredients in Atchinson causes evacuations in Kansas
Updated: Friday, October 21, 2016 @ 12:50 PM
Published: Friday, October 21, 2016 @ 12:35 PM
By: Theresa Seiger - Cox Media Group National Content Desk
A plume of leaked chemicals enveloped a Kansas city Friday morning after a major chemical spill was reported, prompting city officials to order residents to shelter in place and ask visitors to stay away.
The spill was reported at MGP Ingredients in Atchinson, between 10th and 14th streets, south of Main Street. City officials warned residents to keep windows closed, furnaces off and themselves indoors.
"If you are not in Atchison, please stay out of town," Atchison County emergency management officials said.
Medical officials at Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri, said in a statement that they were made aware of the chemical spill around 9 a.m. CDT.
The plume "covered good portions of the city throughout the morning," but dissapted steadily, Atchinson City Manager Trey Cocking said. People were being allowed back into their homes within about three hours of the initial report, which was made around 8 a.m.
At least 18 people were treated for "respiratory discomfort," five of which were city employees, Cocking said. All the injuries appeared to be minor.
City officials told KSHB that the chemical leaked appeared to be airborne chlorine powder, however; MGP officials did not immediately confirm the substance.
"The plume developed when two chemicals were mixed with each other," Cocking said. "It appears inadvertantly and during the delivery process. ... One chemical was (delivered) and inadvertantly put in the wrong holding tank, which caused the reaction."
Authorities did not immediately identify the mixed chemicals. City officials are working with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Chlorine can be damaging if inhaled. It can cause airway irritation, wheezing, difficulty breathing and skin irritation, among other things.
The company involved in the leak produces distilled alcohol products, industrial alcohol and wheat proteins and starches, according to its website.
Atchinson is a city on the Missouri River, about 50 miles northwest of Kansas City.
Chemical leak spread through the air
KSHB
ATCHISON, Kan. - Emergency management said 102 people have been treated after a major chemical spill at MGP Ingredients Inc. in Atchison, Kansas.
According to the Atchison City Manager's Office, sodium hydrochlorite, also known as sodium hypochlorite, and sulfuric acid were inadvertently mixed together in the wrong holding tank Friday morning, which caused a reaction.
The chemical release occurred at 8 a.m. Friday. As of 11 a.m., based on observations by local officials, the emissions had dispersed, according to a news release from MGP.
MGP Ingredients said in a news release it has reported the event to the EPA and Kansas and local authorities, and it "is cooperating fully to investigate and ensure that all appropriate response actions are taken."
MGP has also asked outside experts to assist the investigation and response.
The impact of the chemical plume on Atchison, Kansas
Officials said 102 people were treated after the incident. They said 72 were treated locally and 30 more were treated regionally.
Three patients were admitted to the Atchison Hospital. One is in the ICU in stable condition.
Most patients have been treated, observed and released.
One patient was transferred to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph for heart problems relating to the chemical spill.
The Atchison Hospital said if you have a headache, sore throat or a mild cough to take a shower, stay in cool air and take Benadryl. If you are wheezing or have an excessive cough, please go to the emergency room.
The city said the air is now safe to breathe.
Around 11,000 Atchison residents were urged to take shelter inside for nearly two hours.
41 Action News spoke to Dr. Bill Barkman, a pulmonologist at the University of Kansas Medical Hospital, about the chemical spill. Watch the interview in the video player below.
What happens when sodium hydrochlorite and sulfuric acid mix?
Sodium hydrochlorite is a stabilized form of chlorine. For example, the chlorine bleach you use in your home is only about 3 percent to 6 percent sodium hydrochlorite and is mixed with water.
Sulfuric acid is an extremely corrosive oxidizer. Almost every industry uses sulfuric acid to make hundreds of different chemical mixtures. It’s commonly used in metal processing and in cleaning the surface of steel sheet.
When mixed together, the two chemicals create a very toxic chlorine gas.
According to the CDC, it is very unstable and can react with a variety of different chemicals and water when released into the environment.
Chlorine is also broken down by sunlight, which could explain why the gas reportedly dispersed later in the day.
Exposure to the gas could result in nose, throat, and eye irritation. At high levels, it could change your breathing rate, induce coughing, and potentially damage lungs.
Atchison County officials closed and evacuated the county courthouse. Classes at Benedictine College were canceled for the day.
Massive clouds of gas appeared throughout the city for nearly 90 minutes.
Facebook issued a safety check for those affected by the chemical plume.
Some roads were closed for almost an hour, but traffic has reopened.
Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri and other area hospitals will be on standby if additional medical help is needed.
The National Weather Service released a map showing where the chemicals will spread through 11:30 a.m.
The history of MGP Ingredients Inc.
MGP experienced an explosion at the plant back in February 2016. While no one was hurt in that incident, that wasn't the case in another explosion that took place in 2002. Two construction workers were sent to the hospital with burns after alcohol vapors escaped through a manhole and burst into flames.
MGP processes wheat flour into food ingredients, such as wheat proteins used by other manufacturers. By-products from this process are mixed with corn and made into a variety of alcohol additives used in distilled beverages, food and pharmaceuticals.
The company also makes plant-based polymers for petroleum-based plastics, such as disposable cutlery and CD cases.
MGP Ingredients is a supplier of premium spirits, including gin, bourbon and rye whiskeys.
(MGN)
More residents near ammonia leak site allowed to go home
By Associated Press Friday, October 21st 2016
DECATUR, Neb. (AP) — More northeast Nebraska residents are being allowed to return to their homes days after they were evacuated because of an anhydrous ammonia leak that killed a local farmer.
Magellan Midstream Partners, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, said Friday that it is still not allowing people who live within a mile from where the pipeline leak occurred to return home. Magellan says only four homes fall within the mile radius.
Magellan has been repairing the 8-inch-diameter pipeline that carries the liquid fertilizer. When released from a tank or pipe, anhydrous ammonia becomes a lethal gas that can cause severe chemical burns and damage the tissue of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs.
Authorities have said 59-year-old Phillip Hennig, of Tekamah, was killed by the fumes Monday night while checking on the leak.
Worker Dies After Falling Some 50 Feet Into Well at Bel-Air Construction Site: LAFD
Posted 3:13 PM, October 21, 2016, by Melissa Pamer, Updated at 06:11pm, October 21, 2016
A laborer who fell 50 feet into a well died at a construction site in Bel-Air Friday, authorities said.
Los Angeles firefighters surround a well that construction worker fell into in Bel-Air on Oct. 21, 2016. (Credit: KTLA)
First responders were called to 908 Bel Air Road at 2:48 p.m., according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The 27-year-old worker fell an estimated 50 feet into a sump well, believed to be 4 feet in diameter, Humphrey said.
The man had toppled out of a basket from which he was being lowered and fell into an unknown depth of water, authorities on scene said.
The worker was seen floating face down and motionless, Humphrey said.
Search-and-rescue confined space specialists worked to access him and eventually determined he was beyond medial help. He was declared dead at 5:23 p.m.
The county coroner’s office and Cal/OSHA were expected to respond.
The rescue and recovery effort were taking place at large construction site in an extremely affluent residential neighborhood.
The property owner prohibited news media access to the area, Humphrey said.
OSHA investigating employee accident at Le Sueur Cheese
By DANA MELIUS dmelius@lesueurnews-herald.com
Updated Oct 20, 2016
The state's Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed it is investigating an Oct. 11 accident at Le Sueur Cheese in which an employee sustained injuries resulting in the loss of an arm.
"It's definitely in our systems," a state OSHA investigaor confirmed Oct. 19. No other comments could be provide due to the ongoing investigation.
Reports indicate that Jake Krekelberg, 31, a production supervisor at the Le Sueur Cheese Company at 719 North Main St., was attempting to remove material and unplug a machine when the incident occurred.
Le Sueur Ambulance President Monica Muchow confirmed the emergency service was called and responded to an industrial accident at Le Sueur Cheese 2:13 a.m. Oct. 11. Assisting on the call were the Le Sueur Police Department, Le Sueur Fire Department, Mayo 3 Air, and Le Sueur County Sheriff's Department, according to Muchow.
The patient was transported by Mayo 3 to Hennpin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Krekelberg has since returned home and issued this comment Oct. 14 on his personal Facebook page:
"I would like to thank everyone for all the different forms of support. It has been mind blowing how many have reached out … I want you to know it is working because I am feeling great and am completely ready to get life back to normal."
Le Sueur Cheese Company is owned by Agropur, a Canadian-based dairy cooperative based in Quebec which purchased the plant from Davisco Foods International in July 2014. Attempts to reach plant manager Mark Spence for comments have been unsuccessful.
The Minnesota OSHA is managed and administered through the state Department of Labor and Industry in St. Paul.
At Davisco Foods International our passion is quality. A family-owned dairy company, we supply the world with the finest dairy ingredients. From cheese to whey protein to lactose, our global sales team and worldwide network of trading partners offer global supply. Through groundbreaking protein technology and flexible process manufacturing our dairy ingredients have become the industry standard for quality.
As your partner in product development, we are innovative, flexible and market-driven. We respond to your needs and take pride in making your product goals a reality. We invite you to discover our capabilities.
Davisco Foods is an international cheese and food ingredient company headquartered in Le Sueur, MN. Founded in 1943 by Stanley Davis, with his purchase of the St. Peter Creamery, Davisco is managed by Jon Davis, CEO and grandson of the founder. Davisco has cheese companies in Le Sueur, MN, Jerome, ID and Lake Norden, SD as well as food ingredient companies in Le Sueur and Nicollet, MN, Lake Norden, SD and Jerome, ID. Davisco has sales offices in Minneapolis, Geneva, Shanghai, Singapore and worldwide strategic partners in the Middle East, Japan, China and Africa.
Davisco processes 11 million pounds of milk per day into cheese and whey products. Davisco prides itself in its support of local communities by providing jobs and buying milk from regional farmers. Meticulous about quality control and excellent customer service, Davisco's mission is to lead the industry in food technology by producing innovative proteins for health and nutrition.
A pioneer in whey protein isolate research, Davisco is the largest and most experienced manufacturer of Ion Exchange whey protein products in the world. Davisco produces over 10 million pounds of whey protein isolates annually, accounting for 65% of whey protein isolates sold worldwide. Whey protein isolates are found in 50% of grocery products today, including sports drinks, reduced fat candies, low-fat salad dressings, infant formula, yogurts, dips, shelf-stable baking mixes, and low fat cheese sauces.
