Chemical Tank Rupture in Washington State Causes Death, Multiple Injuries

A chemical tank imploded and ruptured at a Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Washington state on Tuesday. The incident resulted in one death and nine injuries, with nine others unaccounted for as of Tuesday night.

The tank contained “white liquor,” a sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide solution used in paper pulp production. Initially believed to hold around 80,000 gallons, officials later said it held closer to 900,000 gallons, with an estimated 90,000 gallons still inside the damaged tank.

Recovery efforts resumed on Wednesday at the Longview site, about 45 miles north of Portland, Oregon. The injured included eight employees and one firefighter; all were treated and released except for one who suffered chemical burns.

Washington state Governor Bob Ferguson expressed condolences, stating that the implosion posed no direct threat to the community. PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center reported six patients in fair condition.

Nippon Paper Industries, Japan’s second-biggest paper manufacturer by sales, acquired the Longview plant from Weyerhaeuser for $225 million in 2016 and established Nippon Dynawave Packaging as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Meanwhile, authorities monitored an overheating industrial tank containing highly flammable methyl methacrylate at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove. The worst-case possibility of explosion was ruled out on Monday after a crack relieved some pressure.