2 People Still Hospitalized From Beach Park Ammonia Leak: Sheriff

BEACH PARK, IL — Less than one week after liquid anhydrous ammonia leaked in Beach Park on Green Bay Road near 29th Street, authorities said two people are still in the hospital, according to the Daily Herald. The news report added that the two people who remain hospitalized have been moved out of the intensive care unit as they were both upgraded from critical to serious condition, Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Covelli said. The 35 others, including 21 civilians, three law enforcement officers and 11 firefighters all injured due to inhaling fumes in the April 25 chemical leak have been released from hospitals, Covelli said, according to the Daily Herald.

Covelli added that no charges have been filed against the 59-year-old Wisconsin man who was driving the tractor carrying the chemical Thursday morning, as he and owner of the tractor are cooperating with sheriff's office investigators and the National Transportation Safety Board to figure out what caused the leak. The Daily Herald said according to Covelli, NTSB investigators said the investigation could take up to a year.

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The hazardous material spill occurred around 4:30 a.m. Thursday when the tractor towing a pair of ammonia containers began leaking while driving down Green Bay Road, according the sheriff's office. It did not appear there was a collision.

The sheriff's office warned the public to not get close to this area, and asked residents in a one-mile radius to stay indoors and keep air conditioning and heating off. As of around 11 a.m. Thursday, the shelter-in-placed had been lifted.

>>More details: Chemical leak timeline