In North Carolina, poultry workers are quitting in large numbers after an unknown chemical was introduced at their plant

The Counter ^ | 10 18 2021 | Tina Vasquez

[yesthatjallen]

Workers at the Mountaire Farms poultry plant in rural Robeson County, North Carolina, say that about four months ago, something changed. At the time, they couldn’t immediately identify the strange new chemical they’d begun to smell floating around the production lines. But one day things were running as expected, and the next there was a sharp, suffocating kind of odor that one worker said felt like it “invaded your brain.”

“It stings your eyes and throat; it’s like a burning in your nasal cavity,” said Sharon, an immigrant who has worked at Mountaire’s Lumber Bridge plant for more than a decade and asked not to be identified by her real name because she fears retaliation from her employer. “Whatever it is, it gives us headaches and it makes us sneeze. It causes a lot of mucus and it makes it feel like your throat is cracking. It’s something in the water with the chickens because if the mist gets in your eyes, it stings like acid.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 requires employers to provide a workplace free from hazards that can cause death or serious physical harm to employees. While poultry plants are inherently dangerous workplaces and the repetitive motions of the job can take a serious toll on workers’ bodies, the onus is entirely on processors to properly manage the risks associated with chemical use.

SNIP

[yesthatjallen]

The Counter.org seems to have an agenda so the claims may be questionable but is this poultry processing plant introducing a new chemical agent into the processing of poultry? Is anyone familiar with processing poultry?

[Big Red Badger]

I know a Colonel
In the Business.

[grey_whiskers]

The powers-that-be are trying to strip the ranks of health care providers and honest police before they

a) institute food shortages

b) institute the IRS crawling up your ass over every account with over $600 to eliminate cash and under the table jobs

The truth is, Sore-Ass should have been executed long ago as an enemy of humanity; IIRC both China and Russia hate the guy.

[Veto!]

Sounds revolting. Food safety is extremely important for all of us.

I only buy from local butchers who buy their meat from local ranchers. Good stuff.

[fini]

Workforce rules are pretty clear: there must be an Material Safety Data Sheet (for every chemical used) posted or on file where any employee can look at it. There are some exclusions, but they are few and the reasons are well noted.

A call to OSHA could clear this up pretty quickly. I'm not a big fan of OSHA, but in this case it needs to be determined whether there is an "unknown" chemical or not.

[LukeL]

Even table salt needs to be listed in the MSDS. Stores like Wal-Mart even have MDS binders because of the automotive and household chemicals they stock.

[lightman]

The Mu or Nu variant?

[Mogger]

Knowing how things work in a big corp., a purchasing agent probably found some cheaper, “better” cleaning chemical and bought a lot of it.

[lightman]

Made in China...with some “enhancements”.

[DoughtyOne]

They need to get a list of those who are funding these people
on the streets, and NGOs who think they’re a swell place to
dump large chunks of money.

I’ve defended to corporate world for quite some time, but
there are limits to what I’ll put up with, and they’ve gone
way beyond what I’ll buy in on.

Time to clean up...

[\/\/ayne]

Just, wow.

[markomalley]

It wouldn’t surprise me if it is some kind of anti-viral agent introduced to reduce the risk of nasty bugs being introduced to the chicken by the (probably) mostly illegal alien cash-under-the-table people working in the plant.

Fortunately for me, I don’t have to deal with eating that antibiotic, hormone laden garbage any longer...but I feel for those who do.

[Chad C. Mulligan]

Ammonia leak?

[Born to Conserve]

Automation.

There, fixed it. No more jobs, no more salmonella outbreaks, no more unions.

Nice, cheap chickens.

[Mr. Blond]

It’s B.O. from the new Afghan hires.

[Pocketdoor]

Probably mixed bleach and amonia... Doesn’t that make phosgene or something?

[VanShuyten]

“… whether there is an “unknown” chemical or not.”

Or if this is another one of those mass hysteria outbreaks, although those are more common to young women, not poultry processors.

[Tunehead54]

The symptoms sound like they’re injecting chickens with the vaxx to hit the reluctant/hesitant/uncertain un-vaxxed Americans. Just a thought. ;-)

[alexander_busek]

“It stings your eyes and throat; it’s like a burning in your nasal cavity,” said Sharon, an illegal immigrant who has worked at Mountaire’s Lumber Bridge plant using forged papers / someone else's identity, while paying no income tax for more than a decade and asked not to be identified by her real name because she fears retaliation from her employer.

[GOP Poet]

helpful. thanks!