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Toledo Evacuated After Chemical Leak
· Confirmed
In Short: Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz announced during a news conference that a chemical tank containing glycidyl methacrylate exploded around 9:30 p.m.
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz announced during a news conference that a chemical tank containing glycidyl methacrylate exploded around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, forcing an evacuation order for residents within a half-mile radius, affecting about 300 people.
The tank, which can hold up to 5,500 gallons of glycidyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used in plastics, paints, and coatings, was emitting toxic fumes that could become explosive within 12 hours.
More than 900 people live within the evacuation zone, and officials believed they had all left by Wednesday morning.
The chemical, with a flash point of 76 degrees Celsius, is considered “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Resident reports of health symptoms, including headaches, nausea, burning eyes, nose, and throat, have been documented.
Lucas County Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi advised residents to close their windows and take a shower if they experience irritation.
The fire department said those who experience symptoms should contact a medical professional.
The incident occurred at 1050 Progress Avenue, and a sheriff’s deputy was injured while responding to the blast.
The leak was first reported Tuesday night, and video footage showed a plume billowing from the tank Wednesday morning.
MC Tank Transport said the tank contained glycidyl methacrylate, and the company’s plant is equipped with a state-of-the-art leak detection and deluge system.
The company’s spokeswoman said the leak resulted in a visible cloud, which has since dissipated.
The incident prompted shelter-in-place orders for residents outside the evacuation zone, with officials advising them to stay indoors, close windows, and turn off ventilation that draws in outside air.
What's confirmed
- Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said during a news conference that the liquid chemical in the tank can become a gas if released.
- “There is still concern that the tank is emitting this chemical and it has the potential within 12 hours of the incident to be explosive,” Kapszukiewicz said.
- More than 900 people live within the evacuation zone, and officials believed they had all left by Wednesday morning, Kapszukiewicz said.
- “Now we’re trying to kind of determine how much of a toxicity is in the air that the people are breathing so we can give better guidance.” MC Tank Transport said the tank contained glycidyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used to help certain plastics, paints and coatings perform better.
- “There is still concern that the tank is emitting this chemical and it has the potential within 12 hours of the incident to be explosive,” the mayor said, adding that it can hold 5,500 gallons of the chemical in liquid form.
- "Now we're trying to kind of determine how much of a toxicity is in the air that the people are breathing so we can give better guidance." Baroudi advised residents to close their windows and that those who "feel irritation in the eyes, heavily breathing, just take a shower for now." The fire department said those who experience symptoms should contact a medical professional.
What's still developing
- "As a result, our first responders and hazmat teams and safety teams are not approaching the tank." The evacuation orders were issued at 10:48 p.m.
- Authorities in a New Jersey community told residents to \ shelter in place after a chemical leak at a plant that manufactures polypropylene plastic resins.
- Residents of northern Toledo, Ohio, were ordered from their homes after glycidyl methacrylate escaped from a chemical tank, prompting authorities to establish evacuation and shelter-in-place zones around the site.
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- WTOL reported that workers said the Toledo Assembly Complex was evacuated around 11 p.m.
- Overexposure can lead to headaches, dizziness, tiredness, nausea and vomiting.
- Authorities in Orange county say tank holding methyl methacrylate ‘actively in crisis’ and urge residents to leave Authorities in Orange county say tank holding methyl methacrylate ‘actively in crisis’ and urge residents to leave Authorities in Orange county, California, have ordered the evacuation of 40,000 people over concerns about a chemical leak that threatened spillage or an explosion.
- “We are setting up these evacuations in preparation for these two options: it fails or it blows up,” Covey said.