Chemical Leaked at West Virginia Silver Recovery Plant was Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S): 2 Killed, 30 Hospitalized, One in Critical Condition

     A dangerous chemical leak occurred at the Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute, West Virginia, this week, resulting in two deaths and 30 hospitalizations, with one in critical condition. The leak occurred when the company was in the process of preparing to shut down part of the plant, which recovers silver via chemical reactions. Silver is used as a catalyst for other chemical reactions.

     According to AP, Kanawha County Commission Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman noted that:

“A chemical gas reaction occurred at the plant involving nitric acid and another substance, Sigman said at a news briefing. He added that there was “a violent reaction of the chemicals and it instantaneously overreacted.”

“Starting or ending a chemical reaction are the most dangerous times,” Sigman said.

“The chemical reaction that was believed to have occurred during a cleaning process produced toxic hydrogen sulfide, Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango said.

     Seven first-responders, ambulance workers, were among those hospitalized. Patient symptoms included respiratory symptoms, including 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. As the chemical is diluted by the ambient air, there is no danger or concern about local air quality since the leak has presumably been contained.

“The leak required a large-scale decontamination operation in which people had to remove their clothes and be sprayed down, authorities said.”

     Investigations into the cause of the leak will likely be carried out by the state DEP, OSHA, and the National Chemical Safety Board. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey noted that the Kanawha County Emergency Management team has been managing the response.

“…Sigman said earlier this afternoon that the chemical released contained Nitric Acid, but it was mixed with another chemical.”

“According to Dr. Tom Takubo, commissioners and 911 officials, the second chemical was an M2000A chemical. Takubo says that the chemical is a pulmonary irritant that gets into and coats the lungs and keeps oxygen from getting into the bloodstream, but says that he does not know the lasting impacts of exposure.”

“Sigmon says the mixture of the two chemicals happened in a pump area while they were decommissioning a tank, and that’s when the “violent reaction” of the chemicals happened, creating hydrogen sulfide. He says it “instantaneously” exposed the workers.”

     The company is owned by Ames Goldsmith Corp. Its president, Frank Barber, noted that the leak:

“…appears to have resulted in the creation of chemical fumes within a building at the facility. The fumes were contained within that one building.”

     As someone who has been trained in H2S safety as part of my oilfield training and who has also experienced low-level H2S poisoning via a gas well, I know how dangerous these exposures are, especially inside a building where concentrations can become very high very quickly. H2S safety training involves wearing Scott air packs, basically oxygenated tanks. This is likely how the situation was decontaminated by workers.

 

References:

 

Chemical leak at a West Virginia plant kills 2 people and sends 30 more to hospitals, officials say.   John Raby. April 22, 2026. Chemical leak at a West Virginia plant kills 2 people, sends 30 more to hospitals, officials say | AP News

Kanawha County, WV: Two dead, multiple injured in West Virginia chemical emergency. Jackson Lilly and Jessica Patterson. April 22, 2026. Two dead, multiple injured in West Virginia chemical emergency | WOWK