Toxic Mix Of Chemicals Sicken 20 Workers At Cheese Factory

Nearly two dozen workers at a New Mexico cheese factory were sickened when an equipment malfunction caused acid to spill and mix with chlorine.

It happened on Dec. 30th at about 9:15 a.m. at the Southwest Cheese plant south of Clovis.

The Curry County Sheriff's Department says 8.67 gallons of acid spilled due to the malfunction.

When it mixed with more than half a gallon of chorine it produced a toxic gas cloud that spread in an area of the facility.

20 employees were reported injured at the scene.

Ambulances and private vehicles took 14 of the victims to Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis and the Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales.

two victims were listed in critical condition, according to the Associated Press.

The Clovis Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team cleared the scene and Southwest Cheese was cleaning the hazardous chemicals.

Southwest Cheese thinks the cause of the incident was a chemical overflow that occurred due to a mechanical failure.

The company says it produces more than 588 million pounds of block cheese a year.