Lieff Cabraser is investigating reports of a serious chemical tank rupture in Longview, Washington at the Nippon Dynawave paper processing plant. The rupture has already resulted in at least one death and multiple injuries including from chemical burns. Nine workers are still reported missing, and recovery efforts remain “complex” due to the instability of the tank, which contains “white liquor,” a chemical mixture of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate used in the paper-making process.

“Currently, the tank remains unstable, creating hazardous conditions for emergency personnel. Responders are continuing efforts to structurally reinforce and stabilize the site before additional recovery operations can safely proceed,” authorities said in an updated joint statement Tuesday afternoon.

If you or a family member has been injured by the Nippon Dynawave tank rupture, please know you can reach out to an environmental hazard lawyer at Lieff Cabraser to talk about your case and potential recovery via the form on this page.

The national planitiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser has successfully challenged those responsible for environmental harm from toxic spills and accidents for over 30 years, from the 1992 Southern Pacific Railroad Spill through the Exxon Valdez spill, the BP Gulf Oil Explosion and Spill, multiple utility-caused fires throughout California, and water contamination cases like Camp Lejeune, Benton Harbor, and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe PFAS Contamination Litigation. Our firm had a leadership role in the litigation over the 2023 East Palestine train wreck, which resulted in the largest settlement in U.S. history for a train derailment, and also serves in a leadership role in the current Bio-Lab fire/toxic release litigation. We also served in leadership positions in litigation over the natural gas blowout in Porter ranch in 2015-2016, the Santa Barbara oil spill in 2015, and the Orange County oil spill in 2021.

Our work on behalf of those harmed by environmental disasters and toxic spills has recovered over $14 billion in judgments and settlements. Reach out to us today.