Chemical exposure at Illinois nuclear plant leaves 8 people hospitalized, police say | 10 March 2026 | Eight people were hospitalized after being exposed to some sort of chemical at the Byron Nuclear Plant, just southwest of Rockford, on Monday. The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office said affected employees were taken to local hospitals for treatment, and all injuries were believed to be minor. A spokesperson for Constellation, the company that runs the plant, said the workers were exposed to a “small amount of a common non-radiological chemical used in plant systems escaped a holding tank in the turbine building.” The nuclear plant is located about 90 miles west of Chicago.