Two Kansas Companies Fined $1 Million Each In Atchison Chlorine Gas Case

Sorry, I have not seen any actual citations or details of how this incident occurred, but I will update if I get anything.

A chemical supplier and an Ingredients’ facility have been fined $1 million each for violating the federal Clean Air Act when a cloud of toxic chlorine gas was released over Atchison, Kan., in 2016.  Both companies have paid the fines.  U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Crabtree sentenced the companies during a hearing in federal court in Topeka, KS. Both companies pleaded guilty to negligently violating the Clean Air Act, which is a Class A misdemeanor.

In their pleas, they admitted that on Oct. 21, 2016, a greenish-yellow chlorine gas cloud formed at the Ingredients’ facility in Atchison when 4,000 gallons of sulfuric acid were mistakenly combined with 5,800 gallons of sodium hypochlorite. The Atchison County Department of Emergency Management ordered community members to shelter in place and to evacuate in some areas. Approximately 140 individuals including members of the public, first responders, employees of the Ingredients facility and supplier sought medical attention.

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