# Chile powder results in Hazmat team response. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 19, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675 "2013-10-19T20:08:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/1 "2013-10-19T20:08:18Z")
A massive over response by everyone. Why would workers at this plant even call for help? 😕 Anyone working with peppers knows the all too familiar symptoms. If its too bad, then clear out the work area and wait for the chile dust to settle. I’d guess they called 911 to get an ambulance for the one lady with a prior breathing problem. Then somebody at 911 overreacted with a hazmat call. :rolleyes: Can’t imagine what the hazmat team thinks they can do about chile dust in the air. 😛 Our tax dollars at work. Battling the dreaded chili dust cloud in New Mexico. [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201\_162-57608228/cloud-of-chile-powder-causes-n.m-hazmat-situation/](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57608228/cloud-of-chile-powder-causes-n.m-hazmat-situation/) > **[Cloud Of Chile Powder Causes New Mexico Hazmat Situation](https://www.kunm.org/local-news/2013-10-18/cloud-of-chile-powder-causes-new-mexico-hazmat-situation)** > > A cloud of habanero chile powder sent one woman to a hospital and hazardous materials crews to a Las Cruces industrial park.Workers called 911 around 7:45… > [@](#): > > Workers called 911 around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday complaining of irritated eyes, sore throats and bloody noses. > > New Mexico State Police say a hazmat crew and emergency personnel responded to the scene. > > Officials determined that habanero chile particles lingered in the cold evening air after employees finished their work, then went into ventilation systems. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/2 "2013-10-19T20:16:04Z")
Habaneros are wicked. I made sauce one year and wished I’d worn a gas mask. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/3 "2013-10-19T20:18:41Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > A > > [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201\_162-57608228/cloud-of-chile-powder-causes-n.m-hazmat-situation/](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57608228/cloud-of-chile-powder-causes-n.m-hazmat-situation/) > > [Cloud Of Chile Powder Causes New Mexico Hazmat Situation](http://kunm.org/post/cloud-chile-powder-causes-new-mexico-hazmat-situation) From your first link. > [@](#): > > At least 30 complained of irritated eyes, sore throats and bloody noses. It’s habaneros, a little bit more powerful than your typical chile powder. If it’s causing bloody noses, I think it was a good call. Think what that could do to lung tissue. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/4 "2013-10-19T20:20:02Z")
Same thing happened at a Fed Ex plant a few months ago. I guess it’s 9/11 hysteria. OMG my eyes and throat are burning. Call out the hazmat team. They should have visited my grandmother’s kitchen when she was preparing peppers. Burning eyes and mild nose irritation told you something good was going to be served very soon. [http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/19294447/chili-peppers-lead-to-early-morning-hazmat-call](http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/19294447/chili-peppers-lead-to-early-morning-hazmat-call) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/5 "2013-10-19T20:24:32Z")
I haven’t cooked with Habaneros before. Sounds more potent than I realized. Getting that in the AC vents wouldn’t be fun. They probably cleared that plant for at least a day. > [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Habaneros are wicked. I made sauce one year and wished I’d worn a gas mask. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/6 "2013-10-19T20:24:43Z")
Hardly hysteria to call for help when exposed to unknown chemical irritants. Maybe it’s hot peppers. Maybe it’s sarin. You wouldn’t know until it was too late. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/7 "2013-10-19T20:41:23Z")
Yeah, the Fed Ex example isn’t a good one. They never know what materials are in those boxes. Calling someone to check it out makes sense. The chile plant is different because the workers know what they are working with. They probably have mild eye and nose burning every day at work. The Habaneros made it much worse, but they knew what was happening. I’m surprised the managers didn’t have a plan to air out the plant with fans. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/8 "2013-10-19T21:05:18Z")
OK, so they knew what was happening. That doesn’t change the fact that they were in fact dealing with a chemical irritant that had gotten into the air. Just because you know what a problem is, doesn’t mean it’s solved. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/9 "2013-10-19T21:12:20Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Can’t imagine what the hazmat team thinks they can do about chile dust in the air. 😛 Our tax dollars at work. I don’t know about the outdoor air, but inside the building they could probably deal with it the same way they deal with asbestos abatement. Set up air filters that suck clean air into the building, through a HEPA filter and then exhaust it to the outdoors. A couple of those running for a few hours or overnight would probably have helped quite a bit. Maybe a few people mopping the place and then in the morning make a decision about cleaning the ductwork. You really don’t want to just jettison that stuff right out into the air. We have a spice place a few blocks away from where I work (I can almost guarantee you’ve drank, eaten or smoked something from this place) and we can often smell what they working on. Oregano, fennel, basil…I’d hate to be downwind from habanero powder. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/10 "2013-10-19T21:13:06Z")
Besides Hazmat teams need all the real world practice they can get. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/11 "2013-10-19T22:04:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > they were in fact dealing with a chemical irritant that had gotten into the air. Exactly. It’s not exactly fair to laugh at these people because they worked with the stuff and should have known what was choking them. I don’t know what the rules are for “chemical” cleanup in that area or at that specific plant, but it’s entirely possible that internal or external regulations dictate that a “spill” over a certain size must be dealt with by the pros so it doesn’t get into the water supply, etc. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/12 "2013-10-19T22:15:14Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The chile plant is different because the workers know what they are working with. You go to work every day at the chili plant, processing chili plants. Day after day, week after week, for years. One day you and co-workers are engulfed in a cloud of material worse than tear gas. What would you do? Calling for help is a plausible response in that case. Washing eyes with water wouldn’t help, btw. Cite for ‘worse than tear gas’: I’ve been tear gassed. Cooking with habaneros was worse. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/13 "2013-10-19T22:24:10Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The chile plant is different because the workers know what they are working with. They probably have mild eye and nose burning every day at work. The Habaneros made it much worse, but they knew what was happening. I’m surprised the managers didn’t have a plan to air out the plant with fans. It wasn’t _just_ employees of the company in question, Deli-Food Chile and Spice LLC, who were affected. From the [Las Cruces Sun-News](http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_24331253/chile-powder-hazmat-incident-affects-dozens-santa-teresa), “Officials estimated 50 people, from five nearby businesses, were affected.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/14 "2013-10-19T23:14:50Z")
That Las Cruces Sun-News, article does a better job explaining the scope of the spill. I see now why they called in emergency help. That was a smart call. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/15 "2013-10-20T05:14:08Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > You go to work every day at the chili plant, processing chili plants. > Day after day, week after week, for years. One day you and co-workers are engulfed in a cloud of material worse than tear gas. > What would you do? Calling for help is a plausible response in that case. Washing eyes with water wouldn’t help, btw. > > Cite for ‘worse than tear gas’: I’ve been tear gassed. Cooking with habaneros was worse. Habaneros can be wicked, but worse then tear gas? I cook with them all the time, and I find that hard to believe. Maybe I’m just really used to them, or tear gas isn’t anywhere near as bad as I think it is. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/16 "2013-10-20T14:42:55Z")
Or maybe the amount that would be present at a commercial chili packing operation is _way_ more than the amount of chilis you cook with from day to day? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/17 "2013-10-20T14:55:17Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Cite for ‘worse than tear gas’: I’ve been tear gassed. Cooking with habaneros was worse. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Habaneros can be wicked, but worse then tear gas? I cook with them all the time, and I find that hard to believe. Maybe I’m just really used to them, or tear gas isn’t anywhere near as bad as I think it is. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Or maybe the amount that would be present at a commercial chili packing operation is _way_ more than the amount of chilis you cook with from day to day? I think it’s a combination of the two. One, a better cite that habaneros are almost as bad as tear gas is the fact that capsaicin has replaced chemical mace in sprays, and habaneros are almost within an order of magnitude of the capsaicin concentrations in pepper sprays. That said, I also have cooked with multiple habaneros and while there was a tang in the air it wasn’t much compared to onions. Then again I also don’t use gloves while cutting them so maybe they are weak habaneros or I am acclimated to them. But spilling an industrial amount of habaneros is another story. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/18 "2013-10-20T14:58:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Or maybe the amount that would be present at a commercial chili packing operation is _way_ more than the amount of chilis you cook with from day to day? Well, that I believe, of course. It was the bit about cooking with habaneros being worse than tear gas. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/19 "2013-10-20T19:23:40Z")
More to the point, the HAZMAT guys have equipment that typical first responders don’t have. They can help isolate affected persons and set up a triage area for ambulance personnel to work, helping minimize exposure for the medics. It doesn’t do a lot of good to send in just the medics if they get overcome by the fumes. That just adds to the patient count. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675/20 "2013-10-20T21:16:23Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Habaneros can be wicked, but worse then tear gas? I cook with them all the time, and I find that hard to believe. Maybe I’m just really used to them, or tear gas isn’t anywhere near as bad as I think it is. It was enough peppers to make five halfpints of sauce. I had to open all doors and turn on the fan and still I was gagging and choking. It probably wasn’t as bad as CS gas in Basic Training. But it was a close second. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chile-powder-results-in-hazmat-team-response/671675.md?page=2)