The poultry giant was fined $21,000 related to its use of peracetic acid, vindicating workers and their advocates—but will it fix anything?
After refuting workers’ claims that they were being exposed to a toxic chemical that gave them serious respiratory issues, poultry company Mountaire Farms was fined last week by the North Carolina Department of Labor (NC DOL). According to the agency, the company failed to provide employees with effective information and training regarding the use of a corrosive chemical that can cause severe skin burns, eye damage, and respiratory irritation. This is the second time in three years that the company has been cited for a similar violation.
RelatedIn North Carolina, Mountaire poultry workers say an unknown chemical is making them sick
In October, The Counter reported* that workers began to notice chemical fumes at Mountaire’s Lumber Bridge, North Carolina, poultry plant sometime during the summer. They described the smell as a “sharp, suffocating kind of odor” that felt like it “invaded your brain.” It stung their eyes and throats and burned their nasal cavity; they said the chemical also caused sneezing, headaches, dizziness, and mucus discharge. One worker said it caused her throat to feel like it was “cracking.” According to an attorney with the North Carolina Justice Center who interviewed Mountaire employees about the chemical, “dozens” of workers told her they reported symptoms to the nurse at the Lumber Bridge plant. But there was...
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