15 workers at Turkish fish processing facility hospitalised with ammonia poisoning
Fifteen workers at a fish processing factory in the Milas district of Muğla, Turkey, were hospitalised on Thursday evening 2 April with suspected ammonia gas poisoning.
According to the outlet Haberler, the incident occurred at around 19:30 at the Sürsan Fishing facility in the neighbourhood of Güllük. After a report of ammonia-related gas poisoning at the facility, response teams including CBRN units from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency were dispatched to the area. The 15 patients are understood to have not been in a life-threatening condition.
Ammonia is commonly used as a refrigerant in large-scale industrial fish processing plants. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to high levels of ammonia may hurt your skin, eyes, throat and lungs, and cause coughing and burns. Lung damage and death may occur after exposure to very high levels of ammonia.
