Chemical Safety Board Urges Enhanced Emergency Plans After Ammonia Release Incident
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released a final report on a hazardous anhydrous ammonia release at Cuisine Solutions in Sterling, VA, occurring in July 2024. The incident discharged about 170–275 pounds of ammonia due to a pressure relief valve activation, exposing workers to toxic vapors. The CSB calls for strengthened emergency response plans, proper protective equipment use, and improved safety controls to prevent similar future incidents.
On July 31, 2024, a malfunction caused an overpressure event in the ammonia refrigeration system at Cuisine Solutions, a food processing facility in Sterling, Virginia. This led to the discharge of approximately 170 to 275 pounds of anhydrous ammonia through an emergency pressure relief valve, forming a toxic ammonia cloud. Around 40 workers required medical evaluation, with four hospitalized and one in intensive care. Some employees unknowingly evacuated through the ammonia cloud without proper personal protective equipment (PPE), experiencing symptoms such as breathing difficulties. The Chemical Safety Board’s final report, released in September 2025, highlights critical safety failures including inadequate emergency response plans and insufficient engineering controls to manage ammonia release scenarios, especially those involving liquid or two-phase discharges. The CSB recommends that chemical facilities enhance their emergency preparedness by ensuring proper PPE availability, developing robust evacuation protocols, conducting thorough dispersion analyses, and implementing engineering safeguards such as atmospheric knockout drums and automatic shutdown systems. The board emphasizes that toxic ammonia vapors pose severe risks to worker health and underscores the importance of safe ammonia discharge practices. These findings urge companies to rigorously assess and improve their ammonia processing safety measures to prevent future hazardous releases and protect worker safety.
