PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Portland Fire spokesman says an explosion involving a chemical reactor at a silicon factory has injured two people.
Spokesman Paul Corah says two men were doing maintenance Thursday night near the chemical reactor at Wacker Siltronics. The reactor combines chemicals for the manufacturing process.
Corah says reports indicate the explosion occurred when oxygen entered the atmosphere and interacted with a substance called trichlorosilane. He says that’s a chemical compound of silicon, hydrogen and chlorine.
A 56-year-old man and a 58-year-old man reported respiratory problems after the explosion and were taken to a Portland hospital. Corah says their conditions are not life-threatening.
