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UMaine Chemical Engineering Student Dies After Gas Exposure at Woodland Pulp Mill

OSHA has opened an on-site investigation at the bleach plant, with Woodland Pulp cooperating.

Overview

  • Kasie Malcolm, a junior in UMaine’s chemical engineering co-op program, died following exposure to gas at the mill’s bleach plant in Baileyville.
  • Emergency crews responded around 6:20 p.m. Tuesday; Malcolm and another worker were reported down on the second floor, transported to Calais Community Hospital, then to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.
  • Two other workers were injured; one has been released from the hospital and one remained hospitalized as of the latest updates.
  • The specific gas has not been identified, and local fire officials described the episode as an isolated incident within the bleach plant with no public threat.
  • A mill spokesman said the facility was in the process of shutting down because of high natural gas prices and suggested the leak may be related, a point investigators are reviewing.