Amazon Employee Critical, 24 Sickened By Bear Repellent: Official

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ - An employee at an Amazon Warehouse in Mercer County is in critical condition after accidentally being exposed to bear repellent Wednesday morning, officials said.

A total of 24 employees at the Robbinsville warehouse were taken to five hospitals following the exposure Wednesday morning, Robbinsville spokesman John Nalbone said. The one in critical condition is hospitalized at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in Hamilton.

The employees were being treated for difficulty breathing and burning in their eyes and throat, according to officials.

The spray fell off a shelf on the south end of the third floor of the massive Robbinsville warehouse on New Canton Way at about 8:50 a.m. and accidentally dispersed, Nalbone said. The incident was confined to that area, and the building was not fully evacuated.

“Today at our Robbinsville fulfillment center, a damaged aerosol can dispensed strong fumes in a contained area of the facility,” Amazone spokesperson Rachael Lighty said in an email. “The safety of our employees is our top priority, and as such, all employees in that area have been relocated to safe place and employees experiencing symptoms are being treated onsite. As a precaution, some employees have been transported to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment. We appreciate the swift response of our local responders.”

State Assemblyman Wayne P. DeAngelo (D-Hamilton) said he would be monitoring the situation to see if further safety precautions will be needed in the future.

“First, I would like to thank the local EMTs, first responders and health professionals who quickly responded to this incident and began to care for the Amazon employees affected by this incident. My thoughts are with those individuals still undergoing medical care and I wish them a speedy recovery,” DeAngelo said in a statement. “Safe and healthy work conditions are the most important standard for our workforce and we need to make sure that all precautions were, and will be, in place to protect workers. I will be closely monitoring this situation to fully understand what caused the accident, and what, if anything, may need to be done to prevent any such incidents.”