BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — An ammonia leak caused a business to evacuate and required a multi-hour response from the Vermont Hazmat team Monday morning, according to the Brattleboro Fire Department.
No injuries were reported, the fire department said in a news release it issued later that morning.
The fire department responded to an alarm activation at 90 Technology Drive — a distribution warehouse for vitamin and supplement company New Chapters Inc. — at 6:30 a.m., according to the news release.
The release said the first arriving units reported an active ammonia leak of 273 parts per million in the building. Assistant Chief Charles Keir III said parts per million is how the department measures units of hazardous materials.
“For example, carbon monoxide, that’s dangerous if you reach eight hours of 30 parts per million,” he said. “That building has alarms for releases [of ammonia] after 50 parts per million. Anything after that is pretty high, and a significant release.”
Ammonia is a colorless gas that, at higher concentrations, can be harmful, according to the American Chemical Society. If breathed in, ammonia can irritate the respiratory tract and can cause coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Inhaling ammonia can also cause nose and throat irritation. People can smell the pungent odor of ammonia in air at about 5 parts per million.
The Brattleboro building had been evacuated when the first crews arrived Monday morning, the release said. The Vermont Hazmat Team was notified and sent to the scene.
The incident was reported under control at 9:24 a.m., the release said, and responders remained on scene for decontamination work until just before noon. Keir said the building was turned over to its owner.
The news release did not specify what caused the leak. A representative for New Chapter Inc. was not immediately available for comment.
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