Undefeated Plant Accident Lawyers
A chemical release at the FIBA Technologies facility in Duson, Louisiana, sent 10 people to the hospital yesterday morning and forced workers at several nearby businesses to either evacuate or shelter in place.
Chemical Release Involved Boron Trifluoride
Emergency crews were called to the FIBA Technologies plant at 245 Lexington Drive in Duson, Lafayette Parish, shortly after 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. According to the Louisiana State Police, a bleed-off valve had frozen open, resulting in the release of highly toxic boron trifluoride, which sent a thick white cloud billowing from the building.
Hazmat crews and personnel from multiple responding agencies, including the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, Acadian Ambulance, and fire departments from Duson, Mire, and Lafayette, spent more than an hour containing the leak. As they worked to bring the situation under control, the industrial park and four nearby businesses, including a Love’s Truck Stop, were forced to evacuate their premises, while employees of Waste Connections were told to shelter in place.
Motorists were also asked to avoid the area.
Who Was Injured In FIBA Technologies Chemical Leak?
Six of those transported to nearby hospitals have been identified as FIBA employees. Three others were first responders, and one was an employee of a neighboring business. As of yesterday afternoon, all 10 victims were reported to be in stable condition, and their injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening.
The boron trifluoride leak was contained shortly after 8:00 a.m. However, Duson Police Chief Kip Judice told The Advocate that crews might reopen the valve to test the system’s integrity. FIBA personnel, state police, and other agencies remained on site to monitor conditions and respond to any subsequent incidents.
“They’re telling me the threat level is very minimal for any additional release, and that we’re in good hands with the professionals on the scene,” Judice said.
About FIBA Technologies
Headquartered in Littleton, Massachusetts, FIBA Technologies is a manufacturer and service provider of high-pressure gas containment equipment for the industrial gas, chemicals, specialty gas, offshore oil and gas exploration, and alternative fuel industries. The company operates eight plants worldwide, seven in the United States and one in Taiwan.
FIBA’s Louisiana plant serves customers in the Southwestern United States and the Deep South. In late 2024, the company completed a $1.2 million upgrade of the site to accommodate a new Rotoblast machine for refurbishing and retesting high-pressure vessels. Just three months ago, FIBA announced it doubled the facility’s nitrogen storage capacity with a new 6,000-gallon tank.
Despite the recent expansion, a search of federal inspection data conducted by KATC-TV identified only one planned inspection of the Louisiana FIBA plant, which was completed in 2022.
What Is Boron Trifluoride?
Boron trifluoride is a highly toxic compressed gas used in a wide range of industries, including semiconductor manufacturing, chemical synthesis, and — as at the FIBA Technologies facility — gas containment leak testing, where it is mixed with nitrogen to detect leaks in high-pressure vessels and trailers.
Colorless and heavier than air, boron trifluoride produces dense white fumes on contact with moisture and carries a pungent, suffocating odor at lower concentrations. At higher concentrations, it can overwhelm the senses before a worker has any chance to react. When inhaled or absorbed, it attacks multiple organ systems.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of acute boron trifluoride exposure include:
- Eye, skin, and nasal irritation
- Coughing and sore throat
- Shortness of breath and respiratory distress
- Nosebleeds
- Chemical burns to the eyes and skin at higher concentrations
When boron trifluoride reacts with moisture — including the moisture in an individual’s airway — it breaks down into hydrogen fluoride, which can cause:
- Severe burns to the respiratory tract, skin, and eyes
- Systemic fluoride poisoning, which can cause cardiac arrhythmia and cardiac arrest even from skin contact alone
- Bone damage from fluoride absorption
- Kidney damage
- Pulmonary edema — fluid in the lungs — which may develop hours after exposure.
Even brief exposure to boron trifluoride may cause individuals with chronic conditions like asthma or COPD to experience potentially life-threatening reactions.
Questions About the FIBA Technologies Chemical Leak? Call Our Undefeated Plant Explosion Lawyers at 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here for a Free Consultation.
Our firm is monitoring developments related to the FIBA Technologies chemical leak in Duson, Louisiana, and will post an update if new information becomes available.
In addition to being undefeated, our Louisiana Plant Explosion Lawyers consistently recover record-breaking verdicts and settlements on behalf of injured workers and their families, including:
- The #1 Largest Burn Injury Settlement in History
- Highly favorable (and confidential) settlements in connection with the Williams Station 62 explosion in Gibson, Louisiana
- Highly favorable (and confidential) settlements for over 65 workers injured in the Williams explosion in Geismar, Louisiana
- $75 Million Settlement for workers injured in refinery explosion
- $85 Million Settlement for injured refinery contractors
If you’d like to discuss your legal rights after the FIBA chemical release, call us at 1-888-603-3636 or send us a confidential email through our Contact Us page.
The consultation is free, and you won’t pay us anything unless we win your case.