GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. — A "malfunction" at a Greene County chemical plant sent two plumes containing nitric acid into the surrounding air Sunday morning, raising concerns among some neighbors, officials said.
"US Nitrogen experienced a malfunction during a routine startup of our nitric acid plant. The nitric acid plant’s exhaust stack was noted to have a more prominent emission than typical. The plant was immediately shutdown and secured.
"All local and government authorities were promptly notified of the situation. US Nitrogen is currently investigating the root cause of the malfunction. At this time we can confirm that there has been no harm to human health or the environment," according to a statement Sunday afternoon from the Austin Powder Co., which owns US Nitrogen LLC near the Mosheim community.
No one was evacuated. No emergency agencies were dispatched to the plant, officials said.
U.S. Nitrogen in Greene County produces liquid ammonium nitrate, which Austin Powder Co. said is a "non-combustible component" used in other products Austin Powder makes. Austin Powder makes products used in mining, construction, quarrying, and the oil and gas industry among other fields.
Nitric acid can be used in the production of explosives as well as ammonium nitrate for fertilizers.
Greene County EMA Director Heather Sipe told WBIR the plume contained nitric acid.
Greene Co. chemical plant
According to the National Institutes of Health, it can be toxic if inhaled directly, and it's corrosive to metals or tissue.
Some viewers contacted WBIR concerned after seeing yellowish, reddish plumes that emerged Sunday morning from a stack at the site.
Greene County Emergency Management personnel were notified about the incident, according to Sipe.
She told WBIR "everything" was being handled in house by US Nitrogen personnel "and they have made notifications to the State Emergency Operations Center in Nashville and to the NRC (National Regulatory Commission)"
The plumes emerged about 7 a.m. and then about 8 a.m. as the plant tried to start up, said Harold Williamson, deputy Greene County EMA director.
Williamson said EMA hadn't considered the plume harmful. If it had been, authorities would have responded.
Several people shared photos of the plumes on social media, expressing concerns about what they'd seen. Some residents previously sued to try to stop a pipeline built to serve the plant. Some residents have raised concerns about the plant's environmental impact and volatility.
