Chemical Leak Kills Two at Catalyst Refiners Plant in Institute, West Virginia

A chemical leak at the Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute, West Virginia, killed two people and sent about 30 others to hospitals, authorities said Wednesday.

“2 dead, at least 19 injured following chemical leak at West Virginia industrial plant Workers were cleaning the site that is scheduled to be shut down”

ABC News

The incident occurred at the silver recovery business as workers were preparing to shut down at least part of the facility, according to Kanawha County Commission Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman.

ABC News

Sigman said a chemical gas reaction occurred at the plant involving nitric acid and another substance, and he described it as “a violent reaction of the chemicals and it instantaneously overreacted.”

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said at an evening news conference that “Starting or ending a chemical reaction are the most dangerous times,” and he said the state was monitoring the recovery of those transported to local hospitals.

The Associated Press reported that among the injured were seven ambulance workers responding to the leak, and it said other people were taken to hospitals in private cars or even in one case a garbage truck.

Officials said all the deaths occurred on the plant site, and the leak required a large-scale decontamination operation in which people had to remove their clothes and be sprayed down.

The plant is located near Institute, a community about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Charleston, the state capital, and it operates in a region known as West Virginia’s “chemical valley.”

Multiple outlets described how the incident unfolded in the morning and how officials responded with protective orders and medical transport.

NBC News said the incident occurred at 9:46 a.m. at Catalyst Refiners, Inc. Institute in Kanawha County, and it said more than 30 people sought medical treatment after the incident, including seven EMS workers and some from the surrounding area.

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WCHS reported that the incident was reported Wednesday morning, prompting a mile-wide shelter in place that has since been lifted, and it said the road in that area has since reopened.

WCHS also said the shelter-in-place order was lifted and that there was “no threat to the public as air and water tests have been conducted in Institute, Dunbar, Nitro and St. Albans.”

The West Virginia Public Broadcasting account said the shelter-in-place order was immediately put in place for a one-mile radius of the site and that it was lifted, while Route 25 remained closed from Cleveland Ave to New Goff Mountain Rd in Institute to allow access for emergency vehicles.

Officials described the response as involving hazmat and CPR on patients, with West Virginia Public Broadcasting quoting C.W. Sigman: “Other employees drug out the affected workers using respirators,” and “Many of them had respirators.”

That same report said the Kanawha County Emergency Operations Center was activated at 9:46 a.m. and that first responders were on scene by 9:53 a.m., when the one-mile shelter-in-place was activated.

Investigators and officials tied the incident to a chemical reaction during cleaning and decontamination activities at the plant that was in the process of shutting down.

“Chemical leak at a West Virginia plant kills 2 people and sends 30 more to hospitals, officials say Chemical leak at a West Virginia plant kills 2 people and sends 30 more to hospitals, officials say INSTITUTE, W”

Associated Press

The Associated Press said the leak occurred as workers were preparing to shut down at least part of the facility and that a chemical gas reaction occurred involving nitric acid and another substance, with Sigman describing “a violent reaction of the chemicals and it instantaneously overreacted.”

ABC News said workers were cleaning the site scheduled to be shut down when nitric acid and M2000A were mixed, creating hydrogen sulfide, and it quoted Sigman saying, “We could smell it downwind.”

WCHS said the site was in the process of closing down its operations and cleaning and decontamination efforts were underway when a violent chemical reaction between M2000A and nitric acid resulted in the release of hydrogen sulfide.

NBC News added more detail, saying two chemicals—M2000A and nitric acid—were mixed in a pump area while workers were decommissioning a tank, causing an explosion, and it quoted Sigman describing the incident as “a violent reaction” that “instantaneously overcame” the workers.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting also described the incident as occurring during cleaning of a tank and said preliminary information indicates that a chemical reaction occurred, creating hydrogen sulfide, and it said the incident is believed to have been caused by the unintentional mixture of two chemicals—M2000A and nitric acid—during the cleaning of a tank.

That report also included Sigman’s framing of risk during plant operations, quoting him: “The most two dangerous times of a chemical plant’s life is start up and shut down,” and “Well, here we are in shut down, and that’s the most dangerous time of its life.”

Public officials and the company operating Catalyst Refiners emphasized both the immediate response and the ongoing investigation.

WCHS quoted Gov. Patrick Morrisey saying, “We really need prayers tonight coming out of West Virginia for the individuals who lost their lives today and for an individual we know to be in serious condition and for everyone who has been affected by today's incident,” and it said the governor noted the state would provide continued technical, health and logistical support.

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NBC News quoted Morrisey saying, “Based upon all the information that that we have available right now, we don’t believe there have been compromises to the air quality or to the water supply,” and it said that was “That that’s been unaffected by this. That’s positive.”

Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango told reporters that the chemical reaction produced hydrogen sulfide and that the two dead were workers, and NBC News said Salango also described the incident as involving a cleaning and decontamination process.

In the accounts, the company’s president, Frank Barber, repeatedly expressed condolences and said the company was working with investigators; the Associated Press quoted Barber saying, “This is an unfathomably difficult time,” and it quoted him again in the company statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with our colleagues and their families.”

West Virginia Public Broadcasting quoted Sigman praising first responders, saying, “They put themselves in harm’s way trying to save a life. I hate that they got contaminated,, but they were trying to save a life, so I applaud them for that effort,” and it said the governor and county officials held press conferences at the Kanawha County Emergency Operations Center.

Across the reporting, officials said the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation, with the Associated Press saying OSHA has six months to complete its examination and WCHS and WOWK 13 News echoing that timeline.

While the deaths were consistently reported as two, the number of injured and treated varied across outlets, and the differences shaped how each story described the scale of the incident.

“Two people died and one was in critical condition Wednesday after a “chemical release” at a West Virginia plant slated for closure, officials said”

NBC News

The Associated Press said the leak sent “about 30” others to hospitals, while ABC News said “at least 19” were injured and that “A total of 21 people were taken to the hospital, two of whom died.”

NBC News

WCHS said “a total of 21 people have either been transported to local hospitals or have sought medical treatment on site,” and it also said “One person is currently in critical condition,” while it reported that seven of the people treated were Kanawha County EMS workers.

NBC News said “More than 30 people sought medical treatment” and described the two dead as workers found dead at the scene when first responders arrived.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting said “upwards of 30 people were evaluated or transported to the hospital,” and it also said “Approximately 30 or more people — including seven first responders — were transported from the site or sought medical attention independently.”

These discrepancies were not resolved in the reporting, but the accounts converged on the idea that the shelter-in-place order was lifted and that investigations were underway.

WCHS said the Department of Environmental Protection was assisting with cleanup efforts and disposing of waste materials, and it reported that the incident prompted a mile-wide shelter in place that has since been lifted.