Latest Chemicals Headlines
All the headlines from our Chemicals Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Costs Add Up for Texas Fuels Storage Operator After Fire, Chemical Spill
Apr 16 2019 // The costs of a massive fire and chemical spill at a Houston petrochemical facility in March have begun trickling out, with a local official on Monday estimating emergency response costs at $800,000 for the first two weeks...
Arkema NA, Executive Now Face Assault Charges From 2017 Texas Chemical Plant Fire
Apr 11 2019 // A Texas grand jury on April 10 indicted chemicals manufacturer Arkema North America and one of its executives on assault charges, alleging they underplayed the dangers of a fire that injured two emergency workers called to...
Contractors: Company Knew About Valve Leak Before Texas Chemical Plant Fire
Apr 10 2019 // Three contractors who worked at a Houston-area chemical plant say in a lawsuit that the company knew that a flammable gas was leaking before a deadly fire erupted but did not order an evacuation. The Houston Chronicle...
Why Has Texas Decided to Break Tradition and Immediately Sue Industrial Polluters?
Apr 9 2019 // Late last month as crews worked to contain a roaring fire at a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility, the state of Texas did something unheard of, at least in recent memory: It sued the company that operates the site...
Workers Injured at Texas Chemical Plant Damaged by Fire File Suit
Apr 8 2019 // A growing number of lawsuits are springing from the ashes at a Houston-area chemical plant that caught fire this week killing a worker. Two plant employees filed separate state suits Wednesday against KMCO LLC, claiming...
Chinese Authorities Shut Industrial Park After Chemical Blast Kills 78 People
Apr 8 2019 // Authorities are shutting down an eastern China industrial park after 78 people were killed last month by a chemical explosion, the city government said Friday. Local departments have met to discuss how to eliminate...
Chemical Plant Fires Renew Safety Debate in Oil-Friendly Texas
Apr 7 2019 // Two major chemical plant fires near Houston just 17 days apart closed schools, leaked toxic chemicals into coastal waters and killed a worker, but there’s a good chance they won’t lead to big industry...
Despite Explosion, Company Will Keep Using Toxic Chemical at Wisconsin Refinery
Apr 5 2019 // Husky Energy said that it will invest more than $400 million to rebuild its oil refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, and will continue its use of a highly toxic chemical that raised fears in the community after an explosion at...
Federal Safety Board to Investigate Fatal Texas Chemical Fire
Apr 5 2019 // The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said it will investigate a fire at a Houston area chemical plant as the facility’s operator identified the worker killed in the blaze. James Earl Mangum was killed in the Tuesday fire...
New Hampshire Health Fair Addresses Concerns Over Chemicals in Water
Apr 5 2019 // The public is invited to meet with national, state and community partners to learn more about contaminants that have been found in water and other community health issues. The Southern New Hampshire PFAS Community Health...
One Dead, 2 Critically Injured in Another Houston-Area Chemical Fire
Apr 3 2019 // An explosion and fire at a chemical plant northeast of Houston left one person dead and two battling for their lives, just two weeks after a blaze at an oil storage facility caused thousands of gallons of petrochemicals to...
U.S. Investigators to Begin Search for Cause of Texas Petrochemical Disaster
Apr 2 2019 // U.S. investigators hope this week for the first time to enter the site of a massive fuel fire and chemical spill outside Houston to begin the hunt for a cause and to determine whether the operator followed safety...
Houston-Area Chemical Disaster Zone Remains No-Go Zone 2 Weeks After Blaze
Apr 1 2019 // Two weeks after a chemical storage complex near Houston erupted in flames and menaced tens of thousands of people with dangerous fumes, the site remains too hazardous for investigators to approach. Intercontinental...
Storage Tank Owner Sued by State, County Over Texas Petrochemical Fire
Mar 28 2019 // Texas officials on Tuesday sued owners of a Houston area petrochemical storage facility over a fire last week, alleging violations of environmental laws and seeking damages to cover response costs for the disaster that...
1 Killed When Truck Carrying Chemical Explodes on Arkansas Highway
Mar 28 2019 // Authorities say a commercial truck carrying an unknown chemical has exploded on a highway in south Arkansas, killing one person and creating a massive crater in the road. The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management...
Hundreds File Claims Against Company in Wake of Texas Petrochemical Fire
Mar 28 2019 // A Houston-area petrochemical storage company that was heavily damaged by fire has received hundreds of compensation claims from residents seeking lost wages and other damages, a company executive said. Brent Weber, a...
Environmental, Economic Damage a Concern Following Texas Petrochemical Fire
Mar 27 2019 // Businesses and residents expressed concern on March 25 about the environmental and economic fallout from a fire at a Houston-area petrochemical storage farm that sent huge plumes into the air for days and prompted the...
Shipping Resumes in Houston Channel Closed After Chemical Tank Fire
Mar 26 2019 // The U.S. Gulf Coast’s most important industrial waterway partially reopened on Monday after it was polluted with cancer-causing benzene and toxic runoff from the region’s worst chemical disaster in more than a...
Massive Explosion at Chinese Pesticide Plant Kills at Least 64
Mar 25 2019 // Rescuers in eastern China pulled a survivor from rubble early on Saturday [March 23], two days after a massive explosion at a pesticide plant killed at least 64 people, flattening nearby buildings and shattering windows...
Houston Channel Still Closed as Chemical Fire Cleanup Continues; Texas Sues ITC
Mar 24 2019 // Vessels will be allowed to enter a tributary to the Houston Ship Channel this morning, a workaround allowing some shipping in the area as the main route into the region remains closed as a result of a cloud of...
