The number of industrial chemical accidents in the United States has risen sharply, according to an analysis of federal data by the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer).
Incidents involving chemical explosions, fires, and atmospheric releases increased by at least 51% since 2021, while related injuries and fatalities rose by a minimum of 20%, as reported by The Guardian.
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Recent high-profile emergencies include a malfunctioning chemical tank in Garden Grove, California, that forced the evacuation of over 40,000 residents, and a tank collapse in Longview, Washington, that killed 11 workers.
Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA oversees the Risk Management Program (RMP), requiring over 12,500 high-risk facilities to implement safety protocols.
The Biden administration strengthened these protections in 2024, but the Trump administration is now moving to dismantle the federal disaster management framework.
Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Peer and a former EPA enforcement attorney, called the deregulatory actions during a period of rising accidents "simply appalling."
"Like our public infrastructure, America’s industrial infrastructure is ageing, making disastrous failures increasingly likely," Whitehouse added. "Serious chemical accidents are becoming an almost daily occurrence."
Peer obtained the underlying figures after a 2017 lawsuit forced the federal government to track the statistics as mandated by the Clean Air Act.
Reports to the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board show industrial accidents causing chemical releases grew from 83 in 2021 to 131 in 2025.
Accidents resulting in injuries or deaths escalated from 60 to 89 during the same period, up from 73 in 2024.
