Latest Chemicals Headlines
All the headlines from our Chemicals Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Jersey Chemical Plant Fire Prompts Warnings, Bridge, Road Closures
May 20 2019 // Authorities say a fire at a chemical plant in New Jersey has been brought under control, but road and bridge closures remained in effect and local residents were urged to remain indoors because of potential danger from...
California Jury Blames Roundup for Couple’s Cancer, Awards $2 Billion
May 13 2019 // A California jury on Monday awarded more than $2 billion to a couple who claimed Bayer AG’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer caused their cancer, in the largest U.S. jury verdict to date against the company in...
Iowa Wind Turbine Maker Settles with State Over Safety Violations
May 2 2019 // A Newton, Iowa, company that builds wind turbine blades has settled with state regulators following an investigation into workplace safety violations. TPI Composites agreed last month to pay the Iowa Occupational Safety...
Weed Killer Chemical Glyphosate Is Not a Cancer Agent, Says EPA, Contradicting Juries
May 1 2019 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday that glyphosate, a chemical in many popular weed killers, is not a carcinogen, contradicting recent decisions by U.S. juries that found that it caused cancer in...
Wisconsin Explosion Prompts Call for Updates to Chemical Study
Apr 30 2019 // The U.S. Chemical Safety Board wants federal regulators to re-examine a 1993 study on hydrofluoric acid after an explosion at a Superior oil refinery last year. The board sent a letter Wednesday to the U.S. Environmental...
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...
