Hydrogen sulfide release at West Virginia plant kills two, injures 21

A hydrogen sulfide release at a Kanawha County plant killed two people and sent 21 others for treatment, turning a routine shutdown into a deadly industrial emergency at Catalyst Refiners Inc. in Institute. One patient remained in critical condition, while 20 others were listed as non-critical after the incident, which unfolded near Nitro and the Institute exit.

Authorities said the release was reported around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Ames Goldsmith-owned facility, which manufactures silver catalyst. Preliminary information indicated that shutdown work, along with cleaning and decontamination, was underway when a chemical reaction occurred and released hydrogen sulfide. Officials later said nitric acid had been mixed with another chemical. The plant sits along 1st Avenue South in a corridor where industrial operations and nearby communities overlap, raising the stakes for workers, first responders and residents who had little warning before the shelter-in-place order went out.

The initial shelter-in-place covered roughly a one-mile radius before it was scaled back and then lifted across much of the area, including St. Albans, MacCorkle Avenue and several schools. It remained in effect for a time between Catalyst Refiners and West Virginia State University. Route 25 stayed closed while crews processed the scene, and the Institute Fire Department was among the agencies responding as officials worked to contain the release. Metro 911 and Kanawha County Emergency Management also coordinated the response.

Seven of the people treated were emergency responders, including Kanawha County EMS workers, underscoring how quickly a plant emergency can spread beyond the facility fence line. Gov. Patrick Morrisey said state Homeland Security, Health and Environmental Protection officials were coordinating with county emergency management, and the state Department of Environmental Protection was providing decontamination and disposal assistance. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said she was monitoring the situation.

Ames Goldsmith President Frank Barber referred to the dead workers as “our colleagues” in a statement. Their deaths now place fresh scrutiny on the safeguards that should have been in place during a shutdown and cleanup of a plant handling dangerous chemicals. For Kanawha County, the episode was an acute local emergency. For the country, it was a reminder that toxic exposures in hazardous facilities still depend on rigorous oversight, disciplined procedures and fast public warning systems that can protect both workers and surrounding neighborhoods before a release turns fatal.