Chemical company fails to demonstrate at community meeting regarding styrene leak

WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) – The chemical company linked to last week’s railcar styrene gas leak in Whitewater Township failed to attend a community meeting about it Tuesday night.

Whitewater Township trustees hosted a meeting with elected leaders and public health officials from neighboring communities to address residents’ concerns about a Sept. 24 spill at a railroad yard off U.S. 50 and Ohio 128.

This led to the evacuation of more than 200 homes and shelter-in-place orders.

Residents were upset that Ineos of Addyston did not show up, especially after county officials said they sent several messages urging them to attend.

Whitewater Township Trustee Doug King apologized for the entire situation.

“Personally, I am sorry for what happened to the residents who had to evacuate and leave their homes,” he said. “I am one of them.”

Styrene is an industrial chemical commonly used in fiberglass and rubber.

It is toxic and extremely flammable.

In its gaseous state, it can be difficult to control and especially dangerous.

In this case, officials were afraid that the wagon might explode.

Residents and passing motorists smelled the leaking styrene and called 911 shortly before 1 p.m., which resulted in the intervention of many first responders and emergency agencies, as well as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Firefighters sprayed water on the wagon and stopped the styrene leak that night, but they remained on scene throughout the night. They continued to put water in the wagon and monitor its temperature.

The railway carriage was eventually separated from the others and removed from the railway. It moved to Addstyon, Ineos Styrolution on the Ohio River, which owns the leaking styrene.

The probable cause of the leak was the deactivation of the vehicle’s additive stabilizer, officials said at one of several news conferences last week.

Evacuation order lifted, roads reopened in Whitewater Township after chemical spill

The railway carriage was eventually separated from the others and removed from the railway. It moved to Addstyon, Ineos Styrolution on the Ohio River, which owns the leaking styrene.

Officials said the air in the area was safe when the evacuation order was lifted and tests showed styrene levels were below the legal limit.

Hamilton County Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman gave a lengthy presentation on styrene at Tuesday’s meeting.

He shared air quality data that he said showed dangerous levels of the chemical were not detected. The amount released into the air was below the legal limit.

“The styrene coming off the rail car looks scary and it’s not pretty,” Kesterman said. “But styrene gas is used in all kinds of products that we are all exposed to every day.”

Officials also said the risk of contamination in the home is low.

They emphasized that water supplies are completely safe, but that people can have their wells tested if they are concerned.

They also encouraged people to clean up and throw away any open food or water that may have been left out during the leak.

Some residents said they and their family members were sick at the time of the leak.

Many were offended that the wagon stood at the railway station for seven days.

A representative of the Indiana Central Railroad said he would not let anyone sit that long again.

“How can we, as a society, prevent them from parking toxic waste?” one resident asked.

Brian Stussie, vice president of Central Railroad, said they told Ineos they were no longer allowed to store parked carriages on the railway, they had to go directly to Ineos.

According to the railroad, Ineos kept the railcar and others attached to it at the railroad station because there was no room for them at Ineos’ site next to the Ohio River.

As of Tuesday morning, at least five lawsuits involving a total of 11 plaintiffs were filed in federal court in Cincinnati, four of which were moved here from state court on Sunday.

Ineos is one of the companies named in the lawsuit, along with Indiana Central Railroad.

Rhonda Offill of East State Road was among the first to file a lawsuit last week. Court records show people filing live on Walker Drive, East Miami River Road and Ohio Boulevard.

In his lawsuit, he alleges that he suffered medical problems from chemical exposure, suffering from constant headaches, itchy and watery eyes, and an “itchy throat.”

His lawsuit accuses the companies of negligence, trespassing and nuisance.

A representative from Indiana Central Railroad said at a news conference last week that federal regulators were investigating the cause of the incident.

The Federal Railroad Administration is also continuing its investigation.

Ineos has a history of violating environmental laws, according to federal officials.

The current and former owners and operators of the Addyston facility where the railcar is located are Ineos ABC USA Corp. and LANXESS Corp. were ordered to pay $3.1 million in fines for various violations under the Clean Air Act in 2009.

Ineos also agreed to spend up to $2 million to establish environmental controls and change operating procedures to resolve violations of numerous environmental laws, the Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. announced in a joint press release.

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