July 19, 2026Serious Chemical Accidents Are Rising in the U.S.—and Getting More Dangerous

Chemical accidents killed 48 people in 2025—almost double 2024’s toll—and seriously injured 142, according to a new analysis by the Wall St. Journal of data submitted to the Chemical Safety Board. The Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters, which tracks news reports of chemical incidents, counts about twice as many as the CSB between 2021 and 2025, since the CSB doesn’t require reporting of accidents that resulted in just shelter-in-place or evacuation orders, for instance.