Chemical incident at Lamb Weston leads to air monitoring in Quincy
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 7 months AGO
A chemical leak at the Lamb Weston facility in Quincy has led to officials monitoring air quality.
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Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 6, 2023 4:02 PM
QUINCY — Air quality is being monitored around the Lamb Weston processing facility in Quincy, 1005 E St. SW, following the release of anhydrous ammonia at the plant Sunday.
“There were no injuries associated with the leak,” wrote Shelby Stoolman, Lamb Weston communications and external relations, in an email to the Herald.
The leak was reported Sunday afternoon, Stoolman said.
“It was not a planned release, but it has been contained in the facility since it happened,” said Lexi Smith, communications coordinator for the Grant County Health District.
“We have shut down one production line impacted by the release and are investigating the exact cause,” Stoolman wrote.
Smith said there is no threat to the public currently. The facility is being ventilated and that’s being monitored by Lamb Weston crews and the Washington Department of Ecology.
“They’re still working on the ventilation process and we’ll have air monitoring teams on site until that process is complete,” Smith said. “The DOE has been on site since yesterday evening,”
“We are working with the proper authorities to assess the release and ensure safety for our team members as well as public safety,” Stoolman wrote.
Anhydrous ammonia is used in the facility’s refrigeration system, she wrote.
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