A chemical incident at the Catalyst Refiners plant in the Institute area of Kanawha County, West Virginia, on Wednesday resulted in two deaths and required medical treatment for 21 people, including seven first responders.
The facility, a silver recovery operation owned by Ames Goldsmith Corp. and located at 1580 1st Avenue South near the border of Nitro and Institute, was undergoing cleaning and decontamination of a tank as part of decommissioning procedures when the event occurred around 9:30 a.m. local time, according to a report from Newsweek.
According to Kanawha County Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman, workers were decommissioning the tank when off-gases consisting of nitric acid and M2000A underwent a violent chemical reaction. This produced hydrogen sulfide gas, a toxic substance known to cause rapid respiratory distress at elevated concentrations.
The fumes were contained within a single building at the site. Impacted employees were immediately removed by other workers. Seven Kanawha County EMS personnel were among those evaluated as a precaution, officials said.
BREAKING: A chemical leak at a West Virginia silver recovery business killed two people and sent 19 others to the hospital, authorities said.
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A shelter-in-place order was issued shortly after the incident, while several road closures were instituted around the area. Hazmat teams and county emergency officials remained on scene for facility securing and ongoing air-quality monitoring.
Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango stated during a press conference that a total of 21 people were either transported to local hospitals or sought medical treatment on site. One additional individual was reported in critical condition.
“We anticipate that OSHA, DEP and the National Chemical Safety Board will all conduct investigations,” Salango added.
“The West Virginia Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Management Division (EMD), the Department of Health, and the Department of Environmental Protection are coordinating closely with Kanawha County Emergency Management to address a chemical incident at the Ames Goldsmith Catalyst Refiners along the border of Nitro and Institute,” said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.
“EMD personnel are currently stationed at the county’s Command Center to provide direct operational support and DEP is providing decontamination and disposal assistance. State emergency leaders continue to monitor the situation and remain ready to deploy additional resources. … Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our citizens. We are working around the clock with local officials to ensure this incident is contained and that all necessary state resources are on the ground to protect the community.”
