Explosion at Chemical Plant in Kansas City

A chemical distribution plant exploded in Kansas City, Missouri Wednesday afternoon with no reported injuries. Officials are saying that none of the chemicals are highly toxic, but they are warning people to stay inside all the same, especially those with respiratory issues. 500 people and six schools within one mile of the plant were evacuated from the area.

The ChemCentral Corporation is a chemical distribution facility that blends and repackaging chemicals such as waxes, resins, solvents, acids, and other chemicals as reported to the Kansas City Star. An employee said that he was knocked from his feet by the explosion. He confirmed that the facility had mineral spirits and other toxic chemicals. He also said that he did not know what started the fire. Safety officials set up a half mile safety perimeter around the plant.

A ChemCentral attorney said to the Associated Press that the cause of the fire was unknown, and that the company was planning to investigate the matter. Firefighters reported that the building was full of 55-gallon barrels, and that smaller explosions occurred up to two hours after the initial blast, which began at about 2:20pm local time.

Kansas City Fire Chief Dyer said that the fire fighters could only work in a defensive stance on this particular fire, being a chemical fire. He said in a press conference that they were letting the fire burn itself out, which would hopefully be by Thursday morning. Though he warned that the fire could take up to 72 hours to burn itself out. He also commented that the reputation of the facility was that it has a "pretty darn good safety record."

Ironically, the company website states that ChemCentral has been chosen as a finalist in the National Association of Chemical Distributors annual award for Excellence in Responsible Chemical Distribution. ChemCentral is a private-owned company headquartered in Illinois with reported $1.3 billion in sales last year.

According to the Scorecard.org website that reports Toxic Release Inventories (TRI) as reported to the EPA, the ChemCentral Kansas City plant is not an especially prolific producer of pollution, as the facility does not manufacture chemicals there. However, the plant is noted for releasing trimethylbenzene compounds which are blood and respiratory toxicants, as well as neurotoxins. No data is available on cancer-causing chemicals.

Safety officials are instructing asthmatics to double their medication dosages and for drivers to set their car's air circulatory system on the recycle mode. The EPA has sent a monitoring plane to the area to study the air and levels of releases from the fire.