(Washington, DC -- September 8, 2003) The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has announced it will convene a public meeting in New York City on September 30, 2003, to present its final report into the April 2002 explosion at a commercial building on West 19th Street in the Chelsea district of Manhattan.

The explosion resulted from an unforeseen reaction between waste chemicals at Kaltech Industries, an architectural sign manufacturer that occupied the basement of the mixed-use building. Thirty-one people were injured, including 14 who were not employees of Kaltech. Damage extended as high as the building's fifth floor.

The meeting will begin at 9:30 am local time on Tuesday, September 30, at the Hilton New York, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10018. The public meeting will be followed by a press conference. Both the meeting and the press conference will be webcast live from the Board's web site, csb.gov.

The Board will hear a presentation from staff investigators and then review and consider their final report. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the investigation prior to the expected final vote of the Board. On April 16, 2003, the Board convened a public hearing where New York City officials and other experts discussed municipal code issues raised by this case.

The CSB is an independent federal agency established in 1998 with the mission to protect workers, the public, and the environment by investigating and preventing chemical accidents. The CSB determines the root causes of these accidents and makes safety recommendations to government agencies, companies, and other organizations. The CSB does not issue fines or citations or apportion responsibility for accidents.

For further information, contact Daniel Horowitz at 202-261-7613 or 202-441-6074 (cell).