Ammonia Leak Sends 33 To Hospital In Loudoun County; Hundreds Of Workers Present

STERLING, VA — An ammonia leak at a commercial food facility sent 33 employees to the hospital in Sterling Wednesday night, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.

Around 8:36 p.m. Wednesday, authorities received a 911 call about a gas leak in a commercial building in the 22400 block of Sous Vide Lane. Fire and rescue units responded from Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Prince William County, and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority found about 200 employees who self-evacuated. Authorities confirmed ammonia was involved in the leak.

According to WTOP, the leak happened at the Cuisine Solutions food processing facility. There were 33 patients taken to the hospital of the 287 workers present. Five were in serious condition, 17 were in serious but non-life-threatening conditions and 11 had minor symptoms. The remaining 254 employees were isolated and evaluated but did not go to the hospital.

According to the fire department, ammonia causes a breathing hazard and may result in respiratory issues and skin burns. A search by firefighters wearing protective gear determined everyone was out of the building.

WTOP observed that employees who showed up the next day learned work was being paused, as access to the facility remains restricted.

Loudoun County’s Office of Emergency Management responded to the scene to assist impacted people. Due to the number of patients exposed, authorities requested a mass casualty incident alarm that brought in 10 more EMS units, mobile ambulance bus, command staff support, and other resources.