Worker dies in Dow lab fire

A technician has been killed by an explosion and fire at Dow Chemical’s electronic materials facility in North Andover, US. Carlos Amaral suffered fatal burns and died in hospital on 9 October.

An investigation by the local fire department concluded that the fire started when trimethylindium, a pyrophoric precursor to semiconductor materials, was exposed to the air and ignited spontaneously. ‘Either there was a malfunction of the container or human error,’ said North Andover Fire Chief Andrew Melnikas in a statement.