NITRO, W.Va. — Two people died and more than 30 people needed medical attention on Wednesday after a chemical leak at a silver recovery plant in West Virginia, authorities said.
Emergency personnel were called to Catalyst Refiners in Nitro at 9:31 a.m. ET after a “chemical release,” authorities in Kanawha County said in a statement.
The Ames Goldsmith Corporation, which operates the plant, said that the deaths included two “colleagues,” adding that a third person was being treated at an area hospital, The New York Times reported.
Kanawha County Commission Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman told reporters during a news conference that the leak occurred as workers were preparing to shut down part of the facility, The Associated Press reported.
A chemical gas reaction occurred at the plant involving nitric acid and another substance, Sigman said. He added there was a “violent reaction” of the chemicals, which instantaneously reacted.
“Starting or ending a chemical reaction are the most dangerous times,” Sigman said.
“At this time it is believed that a chemical reaction occurred during that cleaning process that created hydrogen sulfide,” Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango said during an afternoon news conference, according to the Times.
Hydrogen sulfide is a flammable, colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs, the newspaper reported. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only a few breaths of air containing high levels of hydrogen sulfide can cause death.
Two people have died after a chemical spill at Catalytic Refiners, Inc., on Wednesday morning in Institute that injured several others, according to Kanawha County emergency officials.https://t.co/826m0omaFQ pic.twitter.com/DdG2i7c65Y
— WOWK 13 News (@WOWK13News) April 22, 2026
Salango said that commissioners anticipate assistance in the investigation from the Department of Environmental Protection, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Chemical Safety Board, WOWK reported.
During an evening news conference, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said the Kanawha County Emergency Management team will be the lead investigator, according to the television station.
“I want to say to the people of Kanawha County, your local responders and everyone here, they’re doing an incredible job under very difficult circumstances,” Morrisey told reporters. “I know there will be a lot of questions from the public, and we may not be able to answer every question tonight, but we want to come before you because it’s critical to let you know what’s happening on the ground.”
Tom Takubo, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Thomas Memorial Hospital in Charleston, said 30 to 45 people were in the initial contaminated area, the Times reported. Each person went through a decontamination process, and some of them have already been sent home, according to the newspaper.
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