19 Plant Workers Sickened at Colorado Power Plant

An official with the Tri-State Generation and Transmission plant in Craig, Colo., says the company is trying to figure out how 19 workers suffered burning eyes and nausea while working on a generating unit.

Company spokesman Jim VanSomeren says no serious injuries were reported but seven workers were taken by an ambulance to a Craig hospital and another 12 sought treatment later. An initial report incorrectly put the number of sickened workers at 31.

VanSomeren says the company is looking into whether acetate from a welder’s torch made the workers sick.

Six hundred workers have been performing maintenance and upgrades to the unit, which has been shut down since April 4.