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Toledo Evacuations After Chemical Leak
Confirmed
In Short: A chemical leak in Toledo, Ohio, forced evacuations and shelter-in-place orders for residents near the MC Tank terminal.
A chemical leak at the MC Tank terminal in Toledo, Ohio, has prompted evacuations and shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents.
The incident, involving glycidyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used in plastics and coatings, began Tuesday night with a plume of smoke and chemicals erupting from the site.
Toledo Fire and Rescue ordered evacuations for all residents within a one-mile radius of the MC Tank terminal at 1266 Progress Ave., starting at 10:48 p.m. Tuesday.
Shelter-in-place orders were issued at 4:24 a.m. Wednesday, affecting those unable to evacuate.
MC Tank Transport Inc., in a statement, said equipment associated with its operations is involved in the incident.
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said nearly 1,000 residents were told to evacuate overnight within a one-mile radius of the explosion.
The mayor also noted that the tank, which can hold 5,500 gallons of glycidyl methacrylate, has the potential to explode within 12 hours of the incident.
Emergency crews will reassess the situation at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, and first responders are not approaching the tank due to the risk of another explosion.
Karim Baroudi, director of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, advised residents to close their windows and take a shower if they experience irritation in the eyes or heavy breathing.
The fire department said those who experience symptoms should contact a medical professional.
A sheriff’s deputy was injured while responding to the blast around 9:30 p.m.
The immediate concern is the safety of area residents, emergency responders, and employees.
What's confirmed
- According to the statement and as the City of Toledo confirmed, the chemical involved in this incident is glycidyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used to make 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.
- Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said during a news conference that the liquid chemical in the tank can become a gas if released.
- First responders, hazmat crews and safety teams were not approaching the tank because of the risk of another explosion, Kapszukiewicz said.
- “It’s really toxic if you touch it, if you ingest it,” Karim Baroudi, director of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, told reporters.
What's still developing
- The city had already issued an evacuation order last night for everyone living within a half-mile of the incident — about 300 people.
- Its chemical formula is C7H10O3, and it has a reported flash point of 76 degrees Celsius (about 169 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Chemically, it is an ester of methacrylic acid and glycidol, containing both an epoxide group and a methacrylate component.
- More than 900 people live within the evacuation zone, and it was believed that all of them had left by Wednesday morning, the mayor said.
- Get full access to The Daily Beast for $1 The tank may still be explosive, authorities warned.
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- “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.