Serious chemical accidents are rising in the U.S. and getting more dangerous

Serious chemical accidents in the United States rose in 2025, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of safety data submitted to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

The Journal reported 131 serious chemical accidents last year, up 20% from 2024. Those incidents killed 48 people and seriously injured 142 more.

The tally points to more than isolated mishaps. The incidents included deadly explosions, tank failures, major evacuations and recovery operations that can stay dangerous long after the initial event.

The trend matters because chemical accidents can quickly move from an industrial problem to a public-safety crisis, especially when toxic, flammable or caustic materials are involved.

Recent incidents on the West Coast

Two recent emergencies help show what those national numbers look like on the ground.

In Longview, Washington, a tank collapse at Nippon Dynawave Packaging killed 11 workers. AP reported that the accident involved more than 500,000 gallons of white liquor, a caustic mixture used to break down wood in paper production.

The collapse left investigators and cleanup crews with a hazardous scene. AP said recovery remained complicated by chemical dangers, while Washington state officials said drinking water remained safe and recreational activity in the Columbia River was safe.

In Garden Grove, California, an overheated methyl methacrylate tank at GKN Aerospace triggered evacuation orders affecting about 40,000 people in Orange County.

The Guardian reported that officials warned the tank could fail or enter thermal runaway. Responders worked to cool or stabilize the tank and reduce the risk of a spill or explosion.

The two incidents were different in form but similar in consequence: both showed how quickly a facility failure can threaten workers, emergency crews and nearby communities at the same time.

Aging plants and missing coverage

The Journal’s analysis points to aging plants, deferred maintenance and regulatory gaps as major drivers behind the increase.

Those gaps matter because not every dangerous chemical or facility falls under the same federal prevention rules. The reporting says white liquor and methyl methacrylate are among the hazardous chemicals outside the EPA’s Risk Management Program.

That leaves the safety system split between chemicals and facilities that are tightly regulated and others that can still pose severe risks without the same federal oversight.

The reporting also says companies have submitted more than 600 serious chemical incident reports to the CSB since 2020, suggesting the problem is broader than a handful of headline-making accidents.

Why the numbers are debated

The broader trend is not free of dispute.

The Journal noted that EPA data show regulated-facility accident rates were lower in 2023 than in 2014. That does not erase the CSB-based accident tally, but it does show that different reporting systems can produce different pictures of chemical safety.

Part of the disagreement is about scope. The EPA program covers only certain facilities and substances, while the CSB-related data capture a wider set of serious incidents.

Advocates for tougher oversight argue that the larger tally better reflects the risk to workers and surrounding neighborhoods. Critics of broader comparisons say the figures do not fully answer how much of the rise reflects more accidents versus better reporting.

What it means for workers and communities

The stakes are immediate.

For workers, chemical accidents can mean death, serious injury and prolonged exposure to dangerous materials. For nearby communities, they can mean evacuations, water-safety questions and the fear of a fire, explosion or leak spreading beyond the plant gate.

The Longview and Garden Grove cases show how those risks differ but overlap. One was a fatal tank collapse with dangerous recovery work. The other was a community-wide response to a tank that officials said could fail.

Together, they underscore why chemical safety is not just an industrial compliance issue. It is also a public-health and emergency-preparedness problem.

What happens next

Several questions remain open.

Investigators are still determining the cause of the Longview collapse. Orange County responders were still working to stabilize or drain the Garden Grove tank. And the policy fight over EPA chemical safety rules is ongoing.

The central question is whether 2025 was an outlier or a sign of a sustained rise in serious chemical accidents. For now, the combination of a higher national tally and two major West Coast emergencies suggests the risk is real, immediate and still not fully contained.