14 Hospitalized after Hazmat Incident at Lenoir, NC, Recycling Plant
An unknown white powder left 22 people ill at a North Carolina recycling plant Monday.
Fourteen were transported to a hospital after complaining of respiratory issues while the North Carolina Regional Hazmat team and Asheville firefighters checked boxes that Prime Recycling workers moved outside.
"It had people very seriously coughing, couldn’t breathe, panic attacks, asthma. It was pretty rough for a while. We didn’t know what was going on,” Waylen Greer, an employee told WSOC.
Preliminary tests show the substance was some type of irritant. Workers were decontaminated at the hospital.
The incident remains under investigation.
About the Author
Susan NicolSusan Nicol
News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.
