Chemical Leak Kills Two in West Virginia Plant

A chemical leak at a West Virginia silver recovery business killed two people and sent between 19 and 30 others to hospitals on Wednesday. The incident occurred at the Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute as workers were preparing to shut down part of the facility, according to Kanawha County Commission Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman.

The leak involved a violent chemical gas reaction between nitric acid and another substance, producing toxic hydrogen sulfide gas. Sigman described the reaction as 'instantaneous' during a news briefing. Among those injured were seven ambulance workers responding to the leak, with some individuals transported to hospitals in private cars or even a garbage truck.

Vandalia Health Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine Thomas Memorial Hospital treated multiple patients experiencing respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, and itchy eyes. A shelter-in-place order was issued for the surrounding area and lifted more than five hours later. Governor Patrick Morrisey confirmed that all deaths occurred on the plant site.

The incident required a large-scale decontamination operation where people had to remove their clothes and be sprayed down. Ames Goldsmith Corp., the owner of Catalyst Refiners, expressed sadness over the deaths and promised to cooperate with investigations by local, state, and federal officials. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into what happened.

The plant is located in a region known as West Virginia's 'chemical valley,' although many hazardous material-producing plants have closed or changed ownership in recent decades. Catalyst Refiners works to remove silver from chemical processes, recovering precious metals even from vacuuming office carpets.