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MillerCoors Faces Fines Over Ammonia Release

DENVER (AP) -- Federal regulators have proposed fining MillerCoors $63,500 over the release of more than 2,000 pounds of ammonia at a Colorado brewery.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Thursday it cited MillerCoors with 10 alleged serious violations over the accident in Golden in July.

OSHA says two employees who were working on the anhydrous ammonia system "narrowly escaped" serious injury when the release of happened during maintenance operations.

A representative of MillerCoors wasn't immediately available for comment.

Anhydrous ammonia is used as a refrigerant and a fertilizer. Exposure to the vapors can burn the tissues of the eyes and throat and cause breathing difficulty.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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