Recent anecdotal evidence suggests that chemical users in the US have serious safety problems. In a horrific accident last week, a tank holding a mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide ruptured at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, killing at least eight people. And at an aerospace facility in California a few days earlier, a tank holding methyl methacrylate leaked, forcing the evacuation of some 50,000 residents.

In April, two people died after a chemical leak at a West Virginia plant that recovers silver from spent ethylene oxide catalysts.

In both fatal incidents, the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB), an independent agency, has sent investigators to determine what went wrong. But the Donald J. Trump administration has repeatedly proposed cutting funding for the CSB, maintaining that the board duplicates work done by other government agencies. My experience is that the CSB does the job promptly, thoroughly, and independently. The $15 million or so that it gets from the government each year seems like a small price to pay for such investigations to continue...

West Virginia chemical accident kills 2; US Chemical Safety Board to investigate

Two workers were killed and another seriously injured in a chemical accident at a silver recovery facility in Nitro, West Virginia. The accident led to the release of hydrogen sulfide and other chemicals, according to Kanawha County officials, speaking at a quickly called briefing on April 22, the day of the accident.

The incident occurred at the Catalyst Refiners plant, which recovers silver and conducts refining operations for silver and ethylene oxide catalysts and is owned by Ames Goldsmith. The company did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

Local officials estimate some 30 people were exposed to the leak and sought treatment at a local hospital, including seven emergency responders. The officials added that the accident site is a small “warehouse-like” facility.

Officials also noted that members of the community outside the facility were not affected although a shelter-in-place order was issued for people within a 1.6 km (1 mile) radius of the facility. CW Sigman, the county director of emergency management, described an initial explosion, involving the mixture of nitric acid and other chemicals, that preceded the chemical leak. The explosion occurred during a tank-cleanup and shutdown operation that took place in an area occupied by other employees...

In California, 50,000 residents have been cleared to return to the vicinity of a Garden Grove aerospace facility that last week began leaking methyl methacrylate, an explosive chemical used to make aircraft windows, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) had originally expected the incident to result in either an explosion or a 25,000-L leak of the chemical into the parking lot surrounding the facility. After a 6-day evacuation order, OCFA announced Wednesday on X that the situation had been stabilized and residents could return home.

The EPA has stated that it is providing air quality monitoring support for the incident and is “working closely with state and local authorities,” including OCFA...