There was an explosion at a Dow Chemical Co. laboratory just over two weeks ago, and investigators are still sorting through the debris to try and uncover the reason for the explosion on January 7^th. Four were seriously injured with burns and shrapnel like wounds, while one other suffered minor injuries in the explosion at the North Andover, MA facility.

Initial investigations show that the chemical trimethylaluminum may have played a role in the explosion, which could have been caused by mixing that chemical with air or water. Trimethylaluminum is a component in manufacturing LED lights and circuit boards and employees working with the chemical have to use a fume hood.

There was an explosion at this same site in 2013 and one man died, however that explosion was the result of a different chemical reaction. The community around the site does not appear to be at risk, according to a spokesperson from the company, as there were no chemicals that were released into the atmosphere from the explosion.

Hazmat and bomb squad crews were sent in to the site in the hopes of finding the specific cylinder that may have caused the explosion, and to remove any other cylinders of this chemical in case they could still be at risk of causing any other reactions. It was a tricky removal as there was still debris from the explosion gathered in piles over some of the chemical containers.

The investigation is ongoing and the State Fire Marshal involved, Stephen Coan, says that he plans to keep the U.S Chemical Safety Board updated on the investigation. There are Occupational Safety and Health inspectors on the scene to determine if there were any safety violations which may have led to the explosion.