Second mill worker dies from gas exposure

A second worker at the Woodland Pulp mill has died following exposure to a toxic gas on January 27. Allen Hornberger, 26, had been hospitalized in critical condition for nearly three weeks before succumbing on February 17. Hornberger, who lived in Lee, had been a process engineer at Woodland Pulp since 2025.

After his passing, Hornberger's parents released a statement, saying, "For the past three weeks, we have been at his bedside in the ICU, praying for a miracle that never came. It is inconceivable to lose him in such a way, when there are still so many questions surrounding what went wrong inside that plant."

The same toxic gas exposure also killed 20‑year‑old University of Maine student Kasie Malcolm, who was working at the Woodland Pulp plant as part of a co‑op internship. Malcolm was hospitalized in critical condition and died the following day.

Both Malcolm and Hornberger's families are being represented by Berman and Simmons' wrongful death attorney Elizabeth Kayatta, who stated, "Investigations by OSHA, the Chemical Safety Board and the EPA are ongoing. This was a shocking tragedy that cost the lives of two promising young men at the start of their careers."

According to information submitted by the company to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the incident may have involved the mixing of concentrated sulfuric acid with sulfurous compounds in an enclosed process sewer, resulting in the generation and release of hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic gas, in the bleach plant area of the facility.

The CSB's investigation will examine the circumstances surrounding the release, including the company's chemical handling practices, process safety systems and emergency response actions.

Mill now restarting

The gas exposure had occurred in the mill's bleach plant when the mill was in the process of shutting operations down for a temporary period because of a large spike in natural gas prices. More than a dozen mill employees were exposed to the hydrogen sulfide gas that is a byproduct formed during the kraft mill process.

Following the month-long shutdown, the pulp mill is now starting back up and is expected to be producing pulp again by early next week, according to mill spokesman Scott Beal, who notes that the shutdown was driven by the high price for natural gas that is used as a fuel in the kiln, power boiler and recovery furnace. Natural gas prices have been increasing recently because of the cold weather and low inventory levels in the U.S.

While the investigations of the gas exposure incident may have delayed the reopening of the mill to some degree, Mike Higgins, staff representative for the United Steelworkers (USW) union, reiterates Beal's statement that the continued shutdown was because of the high natural gas prices. However, because the St. Croix Tissue mill uses pulp, if the pulp mill is not operating, the company needs to purchase it instead, Higgins points out. That creates pressure for the company to restart the pulp mill.

Higgins says that, before the mill could begin operating again, some maintenance work and training had to take place. The maintenance is needed because during the shutdown some equipment froze, which can happen during winter shutdowns.

The training will involve hazardous material awareness for all of the workers at the mill and should be completed this week. While federal agencies recommended the training, Higgins says it is not related to the gas exposure incident. "The company is requiring the training because they don't want to be in trouble with the agencies." In addition, the United Steelworkers union will be bringing in some of its trainers at a later date for OSHA-compliant HAZWOPER training for workers handling hazardous substances.