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Rubber dust may have sparked blast©Associated PressJanuary 31, 2003 KINSTON, N.C. -- A deadly explosion that tore apart a medical supply factory may have been caused by an ignitable cloud of rubber dust, investigators said Thursday after interviewing bandaged and shaken plant workers. The thunderous blast, which left three employees dead and injured 37, occurred in a part of the West Pharmaceutical Services factory where rubber was mixed and formed into sheets. Ten people remained in critical condition. One person who had been unaccounted for was located Thursday. The process of making the rubber produces significant quantities of dust, according to a statement from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. "Investigators are pursuing a theory that the massive explosion which led to the destruction of the plant was caused by an ignitable dust cloud," the board said. Dr. Andrea Taylor, a board member, said investigators would begin testing dust and other plant samples. She estimated damage to the building at $150-million. About 130 people were inside the plant when it was rocked by the explosion and a raging fire Wednesday. On Thursday, agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Chemical Safety Board interviewed workers but did not enter the building because the ruins were still smoldering. North Lenoir fire Chief Deral Raynor said a 900-square-foot hot spot remained at the back of the plant's mixing tower where a fire, probably fueled by rubber, continued to burn under the debris. Some of injured had severe burns over as much as 70 percent of their bodies. Other victims had fractured bones, and one person's arm was blown off.
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