Chemical Leak Injures 5 in W. Virginia

A poisonous chemical with an “extreme rotten smell” leaked from a pipe at a plant Sunday, sending five persons to hospitals, officials said.

The leak of methyl mercaptan, a chemical used in pesticide production, began at the Fike Chemical Co. plant. Firefighters dispersed the chemical with water. Officials did not order any evacuations.

Hours later, sirens wailed late Sunday night at Union Carbide’s South Charleston plant about seven miles east as crews worked on an unrelated problem, officials said.

Crews sounded the alarm when a problem developed in a hydrogenator, which introduces hydrogen into chemical reactions, plant spokesman Mike Lipscomb said. He said that officials did not know if a leak was involved and that the community never was in danger.

Authorities were notified shortly after alarms sounded, but “they blowed the all-clear before we got there,” said a Fire Department official who requested anonymity.