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West Virginia Chlorine Leak Investigated
By: Associated Press
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PROCTOR, W.Va. (AP) – Officials are investigating the cause of a chlorine leak at a chemical plant near Proctor, West Virginia.
The Wheeling Intelligencer reports that the incident occurred Saturday after 33,000 gallons of liquid chlorine leaked from a railcar inside Axiall Corp.’s Natrium chemical plant. The resulting cloud forced hundreds in the area from their homes.
Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater says that local, state and federal officials are working to analyze the cause of the incident. She says the chlorine gas has since dissipated and the risk to the environment resulting from the leak is expected to be minimal.
Operations at the chemical plant were going on as normal on Monday.