W.Va.: Chemical leak at silver plant kills 2, injures several others
OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
3:33 PM – Wednesday, April 22, 2026
A chemical leak at Catalyst Refiners, a silver plant in West Virginia, has killed two people and sent 19 others to the hospital.
On Wednesday, workers were preparing to shut down part of the Institute, West Virginia, facility when the leak occurred, Kanawha County Commission Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman said. He added during a news briefing that nitric acid and another substance triggered a chemical gas reaction.
He described the incident as “a violent reaction of the chemicals,” which “instantaneously overreacted.”
“Starting or ending a chemical reaction are the most dangerous times,” Sigman said.
Officials reported that seven of those who were injured were working in ambulances responding to the leak.
Several others were also transported to hospitals in private cars, with one traveling via garbage truck.
One individual was in critical condition, according to Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango.
Multiple patients received treatment at Vandalia Health Charleston Area Medical Center’s emergency room, hospital spokesman Dale Witte said. He added that patients experienced respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, sore throat and itchy eyes.
WVU Medicine Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston said in a statement that it cared for a dozen patients, including eight who were not at the plant but were in the area at the time. None of the injuries this hospital found were considered life-threatening.
The surrounding area underwent a shelter-in-place order, though officials said that the people who were killed or injured were only those on the scene.
“You had to get really close to the facility to smell it,” Sigman noted.
Ames Goldsmith Corp., the owner of Catalyst Refiners, said it is saddened by the deaths that took place at the plant and promised to work with local, state and federal officials during investigations of the incident.
“This is an unfathomably difficult time,” company President Frank Barber said in a statement at the news briefing. “Our thoughts and prayers are with our colleagues and their families.”
Senator Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) said on X on Wednesday that he was “closely monitoring the chemical emergency at the Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute.”
“Cathy and I are praying for the staff, first responders, emergency personnel, and residents affected in the area,” he wrote. “I will remain in contact with local officials as the situation develops.”
“The loss of two folks at the Catalyst Refiners plant is an absolutely horrific update,” he added in another post.
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