A fatal nitrogen gas leak at a poultry processing plant in Georgia last week occurred as unplanned maintenance was being done on a recently installed processing and freezing line, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said Monday.
The leak at the Gainesville, Ga., Foundation Food Group plant killed six people, sent 12 others to the hospital, and forced the plant’s 130 other workers to evacuate. A release of liquid nitrogen gas pushes out oxygen from the air and makes it unbreathable.
The New York Times, citing a Foundation Food Group spokesperson, reported the accident was the result of a ruptured line carrying liquid nitrogen, which is used to freeze chicken. A representative from the company didn’t respond to NPR’s request for comment on that report.
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