Moorhead, Minn.-At least 11 motorists driving along a county road in three or four separate cars suffered shortness of breath, watering and burning eyes, and burning feelings in their chests the evening of Oct. 2 when they drove through an anhydrous ammonia cloud drifting from a nearby farm field. The Clay County sheriff’s office said the victims either drove themselves or were taken by ambulance to MeritCare Hospital in Fargo, N.D., where a spokeswoman said none of the injuries were serious. Lt. Bryan Green told Green Markets the mishap occurred around 8 p.m., when the tank became unhitched from a cultivator the farmer was using as a tow vehicle. Green didn’t know how much anhydrous was in the tank to begin with or how much had leaked, but he said the cloud, which spread across the road, was not a gigantic one. He said the safety apparently failed to function, so the farmer took it on himself to move up wind and close the valve on the tank. He said similar problems have occurred with older tanks.
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