Hey, there! Log in / Register
Worker dies in seafood-plant ammonia leak
By adamg on Wed, 03/23/2016 - 6:48pm
Hazmat team going in. Photo by BFD.
A worker at a Stavis Seafood facility at 7 Channel St. died from ammonia exposure tonight, Boston Fire officials report.
Firefighters responded shortly before 6 p.m. and tried to go into the Stavis Seafood cold-storage facility in the Boston Marine Industrial Park but were driven back by the ammonia, John Walsh, BFD chief of operations said. Firefighters in special hazmat suits were able to enter the building around 6:48 p.m.
A team of firefighters in hazmat suits recovered the worker's body around 7:38 p.m.
Walsh said the cause of the leak remains under investigation. As of 8:20 p.m., it was still flowing, he said. Officials estimated the building had 5,300 pounds of ammonia in tanks.
Workers and visitors in nearby buildings, including the Harpoon Brewery, were asked to shelter in place. The SL2 Silver Line bus stopped running past the scene.
OSHA and Boston Police homicide detectives are investigating the leak, but Police Commissioner William Evans does not suspect foul play.
"This looks to be a tragic accident," he said. Homicide detectives are usually called in for sudden deaths.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
I'm currently at work at the
I'm currently at work at the IDB Building, all roads are closed off with police blocks. Lots of flashing lights down there... I wonder if I'll be sleeping at the office tonight.
They said that the odor of
They said that the odor of Ammonia is drifting towards the financial district/ Chinatown area.
Awful
Helicopters been hovering for a few hours.
Adam
Not really... according to this..
Ammonia is used as a fish
Ammonia is used as a fish preservative.
thanks
how did you know I was going to ask that question next? :-)
(truthfully.. I was curious to know what they used Ammonia for)
Not a preservative
Ammonia is definitely NOT used as a fish preservative. It is pumped through the refrigeration and freezer equipment instead of freon and other gasses.
Ammonia Is A Refrigerant Used In Large Systems
Ammonia was used as a refrigerant before the development of Freon and other fluorocarbons, and it is still commonly used in large industrial refrigeration systems.
My dad was the engineer at a large hotel that had a central ammonia plant. In addition to making huge blocks of ice, it cooled dozens of refrigerators in the kitchens and bars. He was often called in the middle of the night whenever it broke down because it affected all of the refrigerators in the building. Eventually, he installed individual Freon compressors for each unit and the ammonia machine was decommissioned.
It was spectacular to look at — there was a magnificent compressor driven by a wide leather belt from a huge G.E. motor, very similar to the picture above. I have many fond childhood memories of playing with the ammonia machine!
Ammonia is still used in
Ammonia is still used in refrigerators in RVs and campers too, because it can be powered by natural gas when electricity is unavailable. Three-way (AC, DC, gas) fridge.
No it's not. It's a coolant.
No it's not. It's a coolant.
maybe also for the cooling system
not typically used except in commercial applications, like this
I thought it was for
I thought it was for refrigeration? P
Rotten fish give off ammonia smell
So, why would you use it to preserve fish?
Actually, Ammonia Is Used To Kill E-Coli — Especially In Beef
( but that's probably not what it was used for in this tragedy )
The ammonia is actually used
The ammonia is actually used as refrigerant too keep the fish cold and fresh. Not as a preservative
Does it cause an allergic reaction like
MSG?......
If the ammonia leak killed a worker,
it can't be very good....for anything, or anybody, can it?
Um ...
H20 can kill a worker, too. For that matter, so can wood.
H20 can kill a worker if s/he drowns in deep water, but
ammonia can kill merely by the fumes it gives off. That's an important difference there.
Bad Ammonia And Good Ammonia And Bad Ammonia
Ammonia refrigeration has the potential to cause tragic accidents, especially if systems are not maintained properly, or if operators do not follow all procedures designed to prevent them. When catastrophes occur, they are often studied to understand what happened. Through such knowledge, new procedures can be established to make it safer.
This video shows how part of an ammonia refrigeration system operates, and explains how a fatal accident occurred at a food processing plant in Alabama:
When properly managed however, ammonia is an excellent refrigerant. Unlike CFCs, ammonia gas is safe for the environment — it does not contribute to global warming or depletion of the ozone layer. It's only harmful to people when highly concentrated, as in an accidental release.
Here's an example of the most fabulous ammonia room I've ever seen! The design and craftsmanship of assembly are beautiful to begin with, but everything is immaculately clean, polished, gleaming, and sparkling! It shows a lot of care and pride is taken with this plant.
( this video is beautiful to see, and also to hear! )
Yet, even in a plant as well maintained as this, it's always possible for something unforeseen to occur or fail without warning. I'm sorry it happened to that gentleman yesterday in Boston.
Hotlinks dead?
I'm not seeing them...
They Seemed To Be Earlier, But Now It Appears Adam Fixed Them
ammonia + water is heavier than air
as it leaked out and reacted with water in the air, it becomes heavier than air and displaces oxygen. Can "drown" in it like water.