West Pharmaceutical Services is a manufacturer of pharmaceutical packaging and delivery systems. Founded in 1923 by Herman O. West of Philadelphia, the company is headquartered in Lionville, Pennsylvania.

West makes a wide variety of products, including stoppers, vials, seals, injection systems, intravenous system components, plungers and syringes. They also offer pre-sterilization services in association with their products, and laboratory services relating to packaging design — for example, testing whether the materials in a bottle will leech

Leaching (chemical science)

Leaching is the process of extracting minerals from a solid by dissolving them in a liquid, either in nature or through an industrial process. In the chemical processing industry, leaching has a variety of commercial applications, including separation of metal from ore using acid, and sugar from...

.

On January 29, 2003, an accumulation of combustible polyethelene powder caused an explosion

West Pharmaceutical Services explosion

The West Pharmaceutical Plant explosion was an industrial disaster that occurred on January 29, 2003 at the West Pharmaceutical Plant in Kinston, North Carolina, United States. Six people were killed and thirty-six people were injured when a large explosion ripped through the facility. Two...

 at a West rubber-manufacturing plant in Kinston, North Carolina

Kinston, North Carolina

Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...

. Six employees died, and 38 others were injured, including two firefighters.

External links

• West Pharmaceutical Services