3 Hospitalized After Ammonia Leak At Pasta Distributor, Officials Say

UNIONDALE, NY — Three people were hospitalized after an ammonia leak at a pasta distributor in East Garden City Saturday night, officials said.

The Nassau County fire marshal’s office said that reports first came in of an ammonia smell near the distributor at 8 p.m. Saturday, with first responders from the Uniondale Fire Department being told that employees had heard loud popping noises and smelled the ammonia. According to fire officials, there was an ammonia leak at the facility, which is equipped with ammonia tanks that are piped into the building. One of those pipes, officials said, had sprung a leak Saturday.

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Employees self-evacuated, while a county hazmat team responded to the scene to assist in venting the ammonia out of the building, officials said. The total response took about 90 minutes, officials said.