Regional Briefs

Chemical Plant Explosion Harms Workers

FITCHBURG, Mass.--Several workers apparently inhaled burning vapors after an explosion in a storage area of a chemical plant yesterday.

Seven people were injured, one of them critically.

The explosion was reported at about 10:15 a.m. at the Chem Design plant, Roy said. The plant makes specialty chemicals and other products.

Investigators believe the blast involved the chemicals xylene, used as a protective coating, and cyclohexane, a solvent.

Company President Joe Acker said the explosion occurred in a storage area for chemicals used to process computer and facsimile paper.

The area is in a building adjacent to Chem Design's main plant; Acker said maintenance work was going on in the building at the time.

One of the victims, William Cullen, 25, of Berlin, was in critical condition at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester.

Five others were in serious condition at the same hospital: James Tata, 31, of Fitchburg; John Mead, whose age and address were not known; Cole Lupien, 36, of Templeton; Gary Lusco, 44, of Winchenden; and James McMaster, 18, of Shirley. Tata and McMaster were in the hospital's burn unit.

A seventh worker was treated for minor injuries at Burbank Hospital in Fitchburg, and released.

News of the incident spread quickly, and relatives flocked to the plant.

The explosion also caused a fire in the walls and ceiling of the structure, fire officials said. There was no immediate estimate of damage.

A blast wall protected office workers from the explosion.

"It was designed the right way," said Fire Chief Fred Buck. "It did what it was supposed to do."

Chem Design was cited for safety violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a five-month investigations. The company was fined $7,475.

Environmental Protection Agency records show there was a spill at the plant in 1989 and another in 1990 while chemicals were being transported. Four people were injured in the second incident; no details were available, however.

Chem Design employs 275 people in Fitchburg.

The company produces photoactive compounds for the micro-electronics and lithographic industries. It is a subsidiary of Miles Inc., a Pittsburgh-based chemical company owned by the German corporation Bayer AG.

Officials Report Third Case of Meningitis

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--A third case of bacterial meningitis has been reported at a western Massachusetts college.

David Brooks, a spokesperson for Western New England College, said yesterday that college officials were notified a week ago by New York City health officials that a student had been diagnosed with the disease while home on spring break.

He identified the student as Prashant Swarup, but refused to release his address, age or class. Brooks said Swarup was recovering and expected to be released from the hospital in a few days.

The same day that Western New England officials were notified about Swarup, Nishth Adhvaryu, 20, a junior at Amherst College, about 30 miles away, died of the disease.

Adhvaryu, from Streamwood, Ill., died a day after she was admitted to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester and a second Amherst College student was hospitalized. The second student has recovered.

Amherst College officials immediately notified students and staff and arranged for those who had been in close contact with the two students to receive preventative antibiotics.

Sean Fitzpatrick, a spokesperson for the state health department, said Monday the cases at the two colleges were unrelated. He said the Amherst students were stricken with a Group C bacteria, while the Western New England student had been infected with a Group Y bacteria.

Normally, he said, about 46 cases of bacterial meningitis are reported in the state annually and health officials become concerned only if two or more cases are reported in one location.

Bacterial meningitis is a disease that can cause inflammation around the brain and spinal cord and make victims very sick within a day of exposure. It is fatal in about one out of every seven cases, public health authorities say.

However, Dr. Alan Rothman, a specialist in infectious diseases at the UMass Medical Center, said bacterial meningitis typically does not spread rapidly.

It can be transmitted by sneezing, kissing or sharing food or drinks. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, or a rash that can easily be mistaken for less serious illness. Outbreaks often occur among people in close living quarters like army barracks or college dormitories.

Immediately after being advised that Swarup had been stricken college officials tracked down his roommate to inform him and started putting together a list of Swarup's close contacts, Brooks said.

"That took a couple of days, because the students were on break and scattered," he said. Distribution of college-wide warnings did not begin until Friday, he said.