Washington, D.C. (News release) -- The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced Feb. 9 that the agency is opening an investigation into the fatal chemical release that occurred on January 27, 2026, at the Woodland Pulp, LLC facility in Baileyville, Maine.
The incident resulted in the death of one person, a 20-year old student at the University of Maine who was participating in an internship at the facility, and injured nine other workers, two of them seriously. One of the workers remains hospitalized.
According to initial information submitted by the company to the CSB, the incident may have involved the mixing of concentrated sulfuric acid with sulfurous compounds in an enclosed process sewer, resulting in the generation and release of hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic gas, in the Bleach Plant area of the facility.
CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said, "This terrible tragedy is deeply concerning. The CSB's investigation will seek to determine the cause of this deadly incident and what can be done to prevent something like this from happening again."
The CSB's investigation will examine the circumstances surrounding the release, including the company's chemical handling practices, process safety systems, and emergency response actions.
A team of CSB investigators already has been deployed to the incident scene. As the investigation proceeds, the CSB will gather evidence, conduct interviews, and analyze relevant documents and data. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
The CSB is an independent, nonregulatory federal agency charged with investigating incidents and hazards that result, or may result, in the catastrophic release of extremely hazardous substances. The agency's core mission activities include conducting incident investigations to identify root cause of releases; formulating preventive or mitigative recommendations based on investigation findings and advocating for their implementation; issuing reports containing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations arising from incident investigations; and conducting studies on chemical hazards.
The agency's board members are appointed by the President subject to Senate confirmation. The Board does not issue citations or fines but makes safety recommendations to companies, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA.
Please visit our website, www.csb.gov. For more information, contact Director of External Affairs Hillary Cohen at Hillary.Cohen@csb.gov.
