The Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) reported that it was notified at 4:23 p.m. on Nov. 30 of an anhydrous ammonia leak at the Koch Foods poultry processing facility in Gadsden, Ala. EMA initially said 19 individuals were transported from the scene to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment; the figure was later updated to 22, according to local media, which cited EMA as saying the incident was under control by 7 p.m. and that there was no threat to the general public.
Koch Foods, Park Ridge, Ill., did not respond to inquiries. Koch Foods is not a part of Koch Industries Inc., Koch Fertilizer, or the Koch-related companies based in Wichita, Kan.
In August, Koch Foods announced a new $80 million expansion at the Gadsden complex, which will eventually add another 200 jobs to what the company calls one of the largest poultry processing plants in the U.S.