Ammonia leaks from tank at New Bedford facility

By Sarah Gantz, Globe Correspondent

Ammonia gas was released into the air this morning at a New Bedford recycling center, sickening several people, but none seriously, police said.

A 30-pound tank partially filled with ammonia was punctured when a crane operator at A.W. Martin Inc. on Shawmut Avenue moved it just before 11 a.m. The crane was working in an area of scrap propane tanks, all which were assumed to be empty, police said in a statement.

Two or three people in the immediate area reported feeling nauseated or light-headed and were taken to the city’s St. Luke’s Hospital to be examined, but their injuries weren't serious. One or two others were examined by rescue workers at the scene and determined to be okay, police said.

Authorities are uncertain how the ammonia-filled tank got mixed with the other scrap tanks.

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