Residents of Ohio community allowed to return after chemical leak from railroad car forced evacuations

All evacuations were lifted in a western Cincinnati suburb Wednesday evening, a day after a chemical leak from a railcar prompted tests of water and air quality.

“All initial reports do not indicate any health concerns,” Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District Chief Mike Siefke said. “There is no explosion, no loss of property and the water is safe to drink.”

There are no concerns with air quality after officials in Ohio tested it over the last 24 hours and continue to do so for the next several days.

Residents in hundreds of homes were told to evacuate Tuesday night and area schools were closed Wednesday after officials discovered styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical used to make plastic and rubber, was leaking from the railcar’s pressure release valve. The chemical can cause headaches, nausea and respiratory issues, and long-term exposure can lead to more serious health problems, including organ damage.

The railcar that vented is now stabilized and was moved to its final destination without issue a couple miles away, Mike Miller of Central Railroad of Indiana said. All of the other railcars were moved as well, he said.

There are no reported hospitilizations due to the leak, Steven Fagan, the director of Hamilton County Public Health, said when evacuation orders were lifted. He added that anyone having symptoms should get checked out by a medical professional, but reiterated throughout the day that due to styrene’s volatile nature it likely vaporized almost immediately.

“Any cancers that may have been associated with styrene is more like an industrial accident where people are covered with fluids, and so the venting that occurred into the atmosphere isn’t even close to that type of exposure,” Fagan said.

Fagan advised those returning home to wipe off indoor and outdoor surfaces, wash any soft surfaces like bedding and throw away any food left out.

Schools are currently inspecting their facilites for any contamination and are going to be back in session Thursday, Siefke said.

The incident was likely caused by an additive stabilizer inside the railcar becoming ineffective, causing the product inside the tanker to vent, Miller said. Federal regulators have likely already started inspecting the train and will share their findings once the investigation is finished, he said.

Any residents who have questions or want the county to check out their property for contamination should call the local 211 number, Siefke said. Central Railroad of Indiana will have a representative at the local community center and a hotline to give residents support as well, Miller said.

Aerial video of the incident showed firefighters spraying down the car, which was sitting upright on tracks between a highway and an asphalt plant, the Associated Press reported.

Initially, officials were concerned the railcar’s rising temperature could lead to an explosion, but Siefke said that is “not a concern we have right now.”

Hamilton County’s Emergency Management Agency originally implemented evacuations orders for anyone within a half-mile of the area near US Route 50 and the Great Miami River, west of Cincinnati. About 200 homes were in the evacuation area, Siefke said. Residents just outside the evacuation area were told to stay inside and keep their windows closed.

The area has a mix of businesses, homes and large swaths of undeveloped land, the Associated Press reported.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said personnel from the Federal Railroad Administration are headed to the area to assist as needed.

Last year a train derailment on the opposite side of Ohio in East Palestine, about 300 miles northeast of Cincinnati, caused hazardous chemicals to leak and burn for days. The February 2023 derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line led to new safety rules and increased scrutiny of the rail industry and federal regulators.