West Virginia plant chemical leak leaves two dead, nineteen hospitalized
Chemical leak at West Virginia refinery kills two, hospitalizes nineteen; decontamination underway.
Event / Disaster
Catalyst Refiners Chemical Leak
Chemical leak at Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute, West Virginia on April 22, 2026, resulting in two deaths and 19 hospitalizations. The incident involved a violent chemical gas reaction between nitric acid and another substance during facility shutdown preparations.
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2026-08-18 to 2026-11-15 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 23 Apr, 00:07 UTC
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What happened
Ames Goldsmith Corp. pledges cooperation with officials investigating chemical leak
Ames Goldsmith Corp., the owner of Catalyst Refiners, issued a statement expressing sadness over the deaths and stated its commitment to work with local, state, and federal officials as they investigate the incident.
Chemical leak at Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute, West Virginia kills two people
A chemical leak occurred at the Catalyst Refiners plant, a silver recovery business in Institute, West Virginia, resulting in two confirmed deaths. The leak involved a chemical gas reaction between nitric acid and another substance that caused a violent and instantaneous overreaction. All deaths occurred on the plant site.
Shelter in place order issued and lifted in Institute, West Virginia
A shelter in place order was issued for the surrounding area following the chemical leak at Catalyst Refiners plant and was lifted more than five hours later. Officials noted that the chemical odor was only detectable when in close proximity to the facility.
Large-scale decontamination operation conducted after chemical leak
A large-scale decontamination operation was required following the chemical leak. Affected individuals were required to remove all their clothing and undergo spraying to remove chemical contamination.
Nineteen people hospitalized from chemical leak at West Virginia plant
Nineteen people were transported to hospitals following the chemical leak at Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute, West Virginia. Among the injured were seven ambulance workers who responded to the leak. Additional people were transported to hospitals in private vehicles and one in a garbage truck.
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