An ammonia leak at a Lexington business was first detected by employees

Employees smelled an ammonia leak Monday at a Lexington business off Old Frankfort Pike and called firefighters for help, police said.

3M Ceradyne on Laco Drive also has alarms that go off when chemicals are detected, and the alarms worked properly, said plant manager Rob Hoffman and Maj. Rob Larkin, Lexington police special operations commander. Employees evacuated the affected building.

Several fire department units, including hazardous materials specialists, responded.

The leak was found and shut off and the building was ventilated, Larkin said.

There were no injuries, Larkin said. Workers were expected to be able to return to work in the building later Monday.

Ammonia can kill in large and concentrated amounts. In liquid form, it can cause burns, according to a Lexington fire official. But the elevated amount of ammonia in the air at 3M was not at immediately life-threatening levels.

The chemical leak was reported about 6:05 a.m.

The site is near the Fayette County Detention Center and other businesses.

According to its website, 3M-Ceradyne develops and produces advanced ceramic systems and components. The company works with nuclear power, oil and gas, solar energy, automotive, defense and other highly technical industries.

This story was originally published June 11, 2018 at 8:23 AM with the headline "An ammonia leak at a Lexington business was first detected by employees."