Dozens hospitalized after ammonia leak at Northern Virginia facility

At least 33 people have been hospitalized after an ammonia leak at a food processing facility in Northern Virginia Wednesday night, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.

At approximately 8:36 p.m. last night, authorities responded to reports of a gas leak in a building on the 22400 block of Sous Vide Lane in Sterling, Virginia.

The company was identified as Cuisine Solutions , a sous vide products manufacturer.

Five of the victims were hospitalized with serious, potentially life-threatening conditions, the Washington Post reported .

“I don’t know the complaints for those patients, but they were classified as having significant injuries,” Travis Preau, assistant chief at Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, said . “Because we identified the leak to be ammonia, it’s likely that they may be respiratory-related from inhaling the gas.”

Seventeen more people were reportedly hospitalized with serious injuries and 11 with minor injuries.

The department classified it as a “mass casualty incident” and received assistance from Fairfax County, Prince William County, and the Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority.

The incident took place just a few miles from Dulles International Airport.

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Ammonia is a colorless gas with a distinctive noxious odor.

Exposure to the gas in lower concentrations can cause coughing, eye irritation, and nose and throat irritation, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Inhaling high levels of ammonia can be deadly.