Chemical leak at a W.Va. plant kills 2 people, sends 30 more to hospitals, officials say

NPR/Associated Press reports that a chemical leak at Catalyst Refiners, a silver recovery business in Institute, West Virginia, killed two people and hospitalized approximately 30 others, including one in serious condition. The incident occurred as workers were preparing to shut down at least part of the facility, triggering a chemical gas reaction. Independent verification from AP News, NBC News, and The New York Times corroborates the death toll and hospitalization numbers, with the Times adding specificity that the chemical release involved hydrogen sulfide at a facility in the Kanawha County area; local reporting confirms a shelter-in-place order was issued and subsequently lifted by 10:30 a.m. The reporting demonstrates solid journalistic standards with named official sources and clear factual statements, though the NPR metadata lacks granular details on the chemical's identity and shutdown circumstances that would deepen reader understanding of how the incident occurred.