Dozens of Ark. chicken plant workers hospitalized

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) - Tyson Foods says five workers exposed to chlorine gas at an Arkansas chicken processing plant are in intensive care and about 50 others remain hospitalized a day after an accident caused by the mixing of two chemicals.

The company says 173 of the roughly 300 workers who were evacuated from the plant after Monday's accident were treated at hospitals.

Tyson Foods President and CEO Donnie King said Tuesday that human error played a role in the accidental mixing of two chemicals that created the potentially deadly gas as a byproduct of a chemical reaction. The company declined to elaborate.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlorine gas can cause a range of respiratory problems, from irritated tissue to sudden death from narrowing of the upper airway.