2 killed, 1 critically injured following West Virginia chemical leak
April 23 (UPI) — A chemical leak at a decommissioning plant in West Virginia has killed two people and left a third in critical condition, according to officials.
More than 30 people required medical treatment because of the leak Wednesday at Catalyst Refiners, a silver recovery plant in Institute, an unincorporated community west of Charleston.
Kanawha County Commissioners President Ben Salango told reporters at a press conference that workers were cleaning and decontaminating the site ahead of its shutdown when at about 9:31 a.m. EDT Wednesday a chemical reaction occurred, creating hydrogen sulfide, a flammable, colorless gas that can be fatal to those who breathe it, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Twenty-one people at the site were initially reported by county officials to have either been transported to the hospital or sought medical attention, a number that West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey told reporters during a second press conference held Wednesday night had increased to more than 30.
“To the families we lost today, our hearts are with you and our state grieves with you,” Morrisey said.
“We stand ready to support you in every possible way.”
Among the injured were seven emergency ambulance employees who had responded to the scene, Kanawha County Emergency Management Agency Director C.W. Sigman said.
“When I got there, firefighters and EMS were doing CPR on two of the patients, trying to revive them,” he said.
He said the hydrogen sulfide was the product of nitric acid and M2000A mixing while workers were decommissioning a tank on the site. Sigman explained he was told by the plant manager that it’s “not uncommon” for workers to mix the two together as part of the decommissioning work.
“But there was something going on that was different,” he said. “But that will be for the investigators to determine.”
Officials said an investigation is ongoing and will involve local, state and federal agencies.
A one-mile-radius shelter-in-place order around the plant that was issued has since been lifted and several roads that were closed have been reopened, officials said.