CLEVES, Ohio — Residents in the Whitewater Township and Cleves area were finally able to return to their homes Wednesday night, nearly 30 hours after fire officials first responded to a nearby railyard for a reported chemical leak.
Officials lifted the evacuation order issued for those living near the intersection of US-50 and OH-128 at around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday. All roads in the area were also reopened.
The news comes an hour after Hamilton County health officials said initial tests found no immediate health concerns related to the styrene that was venting from one tanker car on a train headed for a nearby Addyston plant.
Allison Babka, public information officer with Hamilton County Public Health, said the air quality "thus far has shown no issues within the incident zone" and also that the nearby water source from the Village of Cleves Waterworks is not experiencing any issues.
"Hamilton County Public Health has made an assessment of private drinking water wells within a half-mile radius of the site," Babka said. "Residents who would like their private drinking water well assessed should call Hamilton County Public Health at 513-946-7966. All public water within the area is safe for humans and pets to drink."
Despite the lack of health concerns, officials encouraged residents to wipe down surfaces and throw away unpackaged foods — including pet food.
The Central Railroad of Indiana said it was notified at around 1 p.m. Tuesday that one of its tanker cars was venting styrene near the intersection of US-50 and OH-128. Crews responded to the scene and began applying water to the tanker car to cool it.
Mike Miller, a spokesperson for Central Railroad of Indiana, said the styrene likely began venting because the additive stabilizer in the car became ineffective. However, the car transporting it operated as it should have, Miller said. The car is designed to vent the chemical when it overheats — as opposed to exploding — and it did just that, Miller said.
Video provided by Aaron Vetter showed gas coming from a tanker car in the area. In the video, you can hear someone say, "It's been going on for 45 minutes." Representatives from the Central Railroad of Indiana said the rail car had been sitting on the tracks for seven days before the leak.
Jason Cashmere, with the US Environmental Protection Agency said the train car that was leaking styrene has stopped venting Tuesday night and air quality in the area is continuing to be monitored and tested.
Cashmere said officials have established three fixed air monitoring stations in the area and will continue to conduct roving monitoring — meaning officials are driving through neighborhoods and collecting readings.
So far, officials said there have been zero reports of hospitalizations as a result of the leak — including first responders at the scene.
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, styrene is a colorless, flammable liquid used to make plastics and rubber. Styrene is highly volatile.
The CDC reports that people may experience tiredness, slowed reaction times, concentration problems and balance issues if they are exposed to styrene concentrations more than 1,000 times higher than the levels normally found in the environment.
Anyone who may be feeling physical effects should go to an emergency service or call 911.
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