TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A company could pay up to a $1 million fine for allowing a chemical cloud to spread over a northeast Kansas city in 2016.
Federal prosecutors said in a news release that MGP Ingredients, of Atchison, pleaded guilty Monday to negligently violating the federal Clean Air Act, a misdemeanor.
In October 2016, a chlorine gas cloud formed at the company’s Atchison plant when 4,000 gallons of sulfuric acid were mistakenly combined with 5,800 gallons of sodium hypochlorite.
Atchison residents evacuated or sheltered in place for several hours. About 140 people sought medical attention.
A federal report blamed the leak on missing key rings on chemical storage tanks and a lack of attention to proper procedures.
Sentencing is Feb. 24. The company could be sentenced to five years of probation.
