Residents evacuated after 'dangerous' chemical leak from railcar in Ohio

Residents near a toxic chemical leak from a railcar in a small town in southwestern Ohio remained under evacuation orders on Wednesday even after the leak had been contained.

A leak of styrene, a chemical used in plastic and rubber production, was discovered Tuesday afternoon in Whitewater Township, Ohio, about 16 miles west of Cincinnati. Video showed the chemical spewing from the top of a railcar reportedly owned by Genesee & Wyoming, a U.S.-based multinational.

Local authorities told residents within one-half mile of the incident to evacuate—210 households, covering the towns of Hooven and Cleves, which have a combined population of roughly 3,800—and those just outside that area to seal up their homes and shelter in place. A local alert called the situation "dangerous."

By Wednesday, the leak had been plugged but roads in the area were closed, as were the district's schools, as air quality tests were undertaken.

There have been no reported injuries but styrene is known to disrupt the nervous system, causing symptoms such as "tiredness, feeling drunk, slowed reaction time, concentration problems, and balance problems," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also a possible carcinogen, the CDC says.

"I tasted and smelled it," Marcus Greer, a Hooven resident, toldThe New York Times. "It was burning my throat and eyes."

The cause of the accident is unclear. Local authorities have said that they are focused on immediate public safety concerns and will conduct a thorough investigation later.

There was no derailment or fire. Authorities initially said that they were concerned about an explosion, but by Tuesday evening they had said that was no longer a concern. They've used firetrucks to spray the railcar down with water to keep it cool, and have managed to separate the railcar from the rest of the train. Other railcars on the train were also carrying styrene.

It is not the first such incident in the area. A styrene leak from a railcar occurred in Cincinnati in August 2005 after it was left to heat up for five months, the Cincinnati Enquirerreported.

The incident that was on many residents' minds following Tuesday's accident was more recent. In February 2023, a Norfolk Southern railcar carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, setting off fires and leading to a controlled chemical burn of vinyl chloride, a carcinogen. Chemicals released that week spread to 16 states, later research showed. East Palestine is some 300 miles from Whitewater Township.

Following Tuesday's accident, local residents worried that they wouldn't get the cleanup help they needed.

"We are Hooven, Ohio," said Greer, a fourth-generation resident. "They will ignore us."