Chemical leak at waste disposal plant kills one, injures four in US
30 August 2022
A chemical release at a facility owned by hazardous waste specialist US Ecology killed one person and injured four workers on August 22. The incident happened in Canton Township, Ohio and involved the release of hydrogen sulphide.
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Emergency services were called to the scene at around 08:00 local time after five workers began suffering with respiratory problems. All five were taken to hospital where one of the injured later died.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Cleveland office said it was informed of the worker’s death on August 25. OSHA said that an investigation into the incident had been opened and that it would take around six months.
The US Ecology facility is located around one mile south of the city of Canton which is itself 60 miles (97 km) south of Cleveland. US Ecology treats, recycles, and disposes of hazardous waste such as wastewater sludge, acids, and contaminated soil.
According to a local news site, The Repository, the likely source of the hydrogen sulphide was a sludge pit. The local fire department told reporters that all processes at the company were shut down following the incident and that the leak was contained to the site.
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