WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) - The chemical company linked to the railcar styrene gas leak in Whitewater Township last week failed to show up Tuesday night at a community meeting about it.
Whitewater Township trustees hosted the meeting with elected leaders in neighboring communities and public health officials to address residents’s concerns about the Sept. 24 leak in a railyard off U.S. 50 and Ohio 128.
It prompted an evacuation of more than 200 homes and shelter-in-place orders.
Residents were upset that Ineos of Addyston was a no-show, especially after township officials said they sent them several messages to attend.
Whitewater Township Trustee Doug King apologized for the entire situation.
“Personally for myself, I’m sorry for what happened to the residents that had to evacuate and leave their homes,” he said. I’m one of them.”
Styrene is a commonly used industrial chemical used in fiberglass and rubber.
It’s toxic and highly flammable.
When it’s in its gas form, it can be hard to contain and especially dangerous.
In this case, officials feared the railcar might explode.
Residents and passing motorists smelled the seeping styrene and reported it to 911 shortly before 1 p.m., resulting in several first responders and emergency agencies responding, as well as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Fire crews sprayed water on the railcar and the styrene leak stopped that night but they remained on the scene through the night. They continued putting water on the railcar and monitoring its temperature.
The rail car was eventually detached from the others and removed from the railyard. It was moved to the Addstyon company that owned the styrene that leaked, Ineos Styrolution on the Ohio River.
Officials said last week during one of many news conferences the probable cause of the leak was the additive stabilizer in the car became ineffective.
Evacuation order lifted, roads re-opened in Whitewater Township following chemical leak
The rail car was eventually detached from the others and removed from the railyard. It was moved to the Addstyon company that owned the styrene that leaked, Ineos Styrolution on the Ohio River.
Officials said when the evacuation order was lifted the the air in the area was safe and testing showed the styrene levels were below the legal limit.
Hamilton County Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman gave a lengthy presentation at Tuesday’s meeting about styrene.
He shared air quality data he said showed no dangerous levels of the chemical were detected. What was released into the air was below the legal limit.
“That styrene coming out of a rail car looks scary and it’s not pleasant,” Kesterman said. “But styrene gas is used in all kinds of products that we all come into exposure with every single day.”
Officials also said the risk of contamination at home is low.
They stressed that the water supply is completely safe but people can get their wells tested if they remain concerned.
They also encouraged people to clean and throw away open food or water that may have been left out during the leak.
Some residents said they and their family members were sick during the leak.
Many were upset the railcar sat at the railyard for seven days.
A representative of Central Railroad of Indiana said it wouldn’t let one sit that long again.
“How do we, as a community, stop them from parking toxic waste?” one resident asked.
Brian Stussie, a vice president at Central Railroad, said they told Ineos they are no longer permitted to store parked railcars on their railroad, they must go right to Ineos.
Ineos kept the railcar and others attached to it at the railyard because Ineos didn’t have room for them at their site next to the Ohio River, according to the railroad.
As of Tuesday morning, at least five lawsuits involving 11 total plaintiffs are filed in the federal court in Cincinnati, four of which were moved there from state court on Sunday.
Ineos is one of the companies named in the lawsuit, along with Central Railroad of Indiana.
Rhonda Offill of East State Road was among the first to sue last week. Others who have sued live on Walker Drive, East Miami River Road and Ohio Avenue, court records show.
She alleges in her lawsuit she’s suffered medical issues due to chemical exposure and experienced constant headaches, itchy and watery eyes and a “scratchy throat.”
Her lawsuit accuses the companies of negligence, trespassing and being a nuisance.
A representative of the Central Railroad of Indiana said during a news conference last week federal regulators were investigating the cause.
The Federal Railroad Administration also is investigating.
Ineos has a history of violating environmental laws, according to federal authorities.
The current and former owners and operators of the Addyston site that has the railcar, Ineos ABC USA Corp. and LANXESS Corp., both agreed back in 2009 to pay a $3.1 million civil penalty for various violations under the Clean Air Act.
Ineos also agreed to spend up to $2 million to install environmental controls and modify operating procedures to resolve violations of multiple environmental laws, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in a joint news release.
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