Tom Dwiggins, a spokesman for the Chandler Fire Department said the department initially responded to a 911 call from the plant, where it was reported someone was having difficulty breathing. It could have been a lot worse, Intel’s plant in Chandler employs more than 11,000, making it the semiconductor maker’s second-biggest location in the U.S.
Nitrogen is used as part of Intel’s dry-etching process. Dwiggins said all of the injuries were minor and not life-threatening, and those sent to the hospital went for precautionary reasons. Intel said in a statement that a single manufacturing tool was the source of the leak, and has been shut down. Operations at the facility are continuing and the company will investigate the cause of the leak.
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