Chemical leak at West Virginia plant kills 2, sends dozens to hospitals

The deadly leak at Catalyst Refiners raised immediate questions about how a plant in decommissioning was being monitored as workers cleaned equipment for shutdown. The incident struck the silver recovery business in Institute, West Virginia, near Charleston, around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, killing two people and sending dozens more to hospitals and clinics after a chemical reaction turned violent inside the facility.

Officials said the event involved nitric acid and another substance identified in local reporting as M2000A. Kanawha County Commission Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman said the mix caused a “violent reaction” and off-gassing of hydrogen sulfide, forcing an extensive emergency response at the plant, which is owned by Ames Goldsmith Corp., a precious-metals manufacturer based in New York. The plant was reportedly in the process of shutting down and was scheduled to close in June 2026.

The human toll widened quickly as first responders began treating people at the scene. Early reports put the number of hospitalized victims at 19, later updates said 21 people were taken to the hospital and about 30 sought treatment overall. Seven of the injured were ambulance and EMS workers who had answered the call. Some victims were transported by private cars, and one was reportedly taken in a garbage truck as responders worked to move people away from the exposure.

Emergency crews ordered a shelter-in-place for a one-mile radius around Catalyst Refiners and closed roads near the plant while crews decontaminated workers and others exposed to the leak. People were required to remove clothing and be sprayed down as part of the response. The shelter order was later lifted, but the scale of the decontamination underscored how fast the incident spread beyond the plant boundary and into the surrounding community.

Ames Goldsmith said it was saddened by the deaths and expressed sympathy for everyone affected and their families. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said state and federal investigations were expected in the coming days, signaling a broader review of what happened during the shutdown work and whether the plant’s emergency systems performed as intended. The names of the dead had not been released, but WV MetroNews reported that the two fatalities and another person in critical condition were Ames Goldsmith employees. Catalyst Refiners had held a West Virginia business license since 2018, adding another layer to the scrutiny now falling on the operation as it winds down.