4 Hurt in Chemical Incident at American Crystal Plant4 Hurt in Chemical Incident at American Crystal Plant

An accidental chemical spill at the American Crystal Sugar processing plant in Hillsboro, ND last week left four people with injuries and halted operations at the facility for several hours, a local news organization reported. 

First responders were called to the facility at about 8:30 a.m. on Jul. 28 after a chemical spilled. Employees on site were moving nitric acid from a container into a tank when the pump they were using had a malfunction, spilling the chemical, Traill County Sheriff Steve Hunt told the Grand Forks Herald. 

Four workers were transported to an area hospital with minor injuries after they were exposed to the nitric acid. They were released later that day. 

Workers present at the American Crystal plant during the incident were evacuated for several hours and were allowed to go back inside at about 4:30 p.m., the newspaper reported. Most of the staff on site were performing maintenance work while the plant is in between busy seasons, Sheriff Hunt said. 

Opened in 1973, American Crystal’s plant in Hillsboro is capable of producing 8,500,000 cwt/yr, with a daily capacity of about 28,500 cwt, according to the firm’s website. The plant has a total headcount of 280 workers, including campaign employees.

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