US safety agency sends investigative team to site of West Virginia explosion

HOUSTON (ICIS)–The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has sent a team to investigate the explosion earlier this week at a chemicals production facility in Belle, West Virginia, operated by Optima Chemical, the safety agency confirmed on Thursday.

Optima leases space at the site from Chemours, according to the US-headquartered producer.

Optima has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

The blast caused one fatality and injured two others who have been treated and released from an area hospital, according to television news network CNN.

Optima Chemicals produces specialty chemicals using technology that has evolved from organometallic chemistry, according to the company’s website.

The CSB is an independent federal agency that conducts investigations on chemical accidents. Its board does not issue citations or fines, but does make safety recommendations to companies, industry organisations, labour groups and regulatory agencies.

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Front page picture: Chemicals facilities in Belle, West Virginia seen on the left are close to the town’s residential areas, on the right. Picture source: Google Earth