Railcar Chlorine Leak Prompts Axiall Plant Closure

Sept. 2, 2016
Nearby communities in West Virginia and Ohio are evacuated.

A rail tanker car carrying chlorine developed a leak inside Axiall Corporation’s Natrium chemical facility on August 27, prompting a shutdown and evacuation of the plant near Proctor, West Virginia and evacuation of nearby communities, according to an article from The Wall Street Journal. The event also reportedly resulted in the temporary closure of local roads.

The company reports that the leak has been closed off, according to the article. One company employee and a contract worker were reportedly taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and released. According to local reports referenced in the article, the Natrium plant has had other accidents in the past including a chemical explosion in 2014 that resulted in one death and a steam release in December that injured 11 workers.

Read the entire article here.

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