INSTITUTE, W.Va. — A chemical release Wednesday at the Catalyst Refiners silver‑recovery plant in Institute killed two people and sent about 30 others to hospitals, officials said.
Kanawha County Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman said the incident occurred as workers were preparing to shut down part of the facility. A reaction involving nitric acid and another substance produced toxic hydrogen sulfide, Sigman said, describing it as a sudden, violent overreaction of the chemicals. He noted that starting or ending chemical processes can be especially hazardous.
Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango said the reaction, believed to have happened during a cleaning operation, generated the hydrogen sulfide. Officials said both fatalities occurred on the plant site.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey said about 30 people were taken to hospitals, including one person in serious condition. Seven ambulance workers who responded to the scene were among those injured, he added, and he praised first responders as authorities monitored patients’ recoveries.
Vandalia Health Charleston Area Medical Center treated multiple patients and reported community members also sought evaluation. Hospital spokesman Dale Witte said patients experienced respiratory symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, sore throat and eye irritation. WVU Medicine Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston said it cared for about a dozen patients, including eight who arrived by personal vehicle; their injuries were not considered life‑threatening.
Officials issued a shelter‑in‑place order for the surrounding area that was lifted more than five hours later. Local air quality and the water supply appeared to be unaffected, authorities said. The response required a large decontamination operation in which affected people removed clothing and were washed down.
Catalyst Refiners, owned by Ames Goldsmith Corp., recovers silver from remnants of chemical processes and other materials. Company president Frank Barber expressed sorrow over the deaths and said the company’s thoughts were with the victims’ families. Ames Goldsmith said it will cooperate with local, state and federal investigators.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation and has up to six months to complete its examination. The plant sits in a long‑established industrial area often called West Virginia’s “chemical valley,” about 10 miles west of Charleston. Authorities said the investigation into the cause and circumstances of the reaction remains ongoing.