Federal investigators are faulting chemical giant Dow for a 2023 accident that led to the release of almost 16 tons of cancer-causing ethylene oxide at one of its Louisiana plants.
“This catastrophic incident should never have happened,” Steve Owens, chair of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, said in a statement accompanying the agency’s findings. “When dealing with a highly hazardous chemical like ethylene oxide, even a seemingly small mistake can have enormous consequences.”
No injuries were reported after the explosions and fires at the plant near Plaquemine, across the Mississippi River from the state capital of Baton Rouge. But hundreds of nearby residents were told to shelter in place.
The plant manufactures ethylene oxide, which is used both to sterilize medical equipment and to make other chemicals. EPA deems the compound a potent carcinogen; long-term exposure is tied to a higher risk of contracting leukemia and other blood cancers.
