GUELPH, ONTARIO – Local safety officials responded to a peracetic acid leak near the Cargill beef processing facility in Guelph, Ontario, on Dec. 14.

Investigations are still ongoing for the cause of the spill near the plant.

Spokesperson April Nelson said all affected areas had been roped off and there is no ongoing threat to personal safety outside those areas. 

“Three employees were treated onsite for irritant to the eyes. One employee was sent to the hospital, out of an abundance of caution, for irritant to the skin,” Nelson said. “That employee returned to work later that afternoon. There were no incidents of respiratory distress.”

The company said that plant management called emergency response teams immediately and Canada’s Ministry of Environment.

Nelson added that initial testing by the City of Guelph and the Ministry of Environment showed that the spill did not reach a nearby river.

Cargill shut down the facility while mitigation efforts were conducted but was in the process of restarting the plant following the OK by the Guelph fire chief.