Chemical tank explodes in Ohio, forcing evacuations and shelter-in-place orders

A chemical tank exploded in Toledo, Ohio, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes or shelter in place due to fears of a toxic release, and the mayor warned Wednesday that it may still be explosive.

Videos show a plume still billowing from the tank early Wednesday afternoon, more than 14 hours after the tank began leaking Tuesday night.

Some residents felt irritation in their eyes and throats, and one sheriff’s deputy who responded to the blast drove himself to a hospital because he felt unwell, city officials said.

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MC Tank Transport said the tank contained glycidyl methacrylate, which it described as “an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics, paints and coatings perform better.”

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said without elaborating that the leak happened because of an error while the material was being transferred.

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The leaking tank was in a largely industrial area. Nearly 1,000 residents were told to evacuate overnight within a 1.6-kilometre radius of the explosion, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

A shelter-in-place order covering a 4.8-kilometre radius included neighborhoods along the Lake Erie shoreline and stretched just across the state line into Michigan. Schools across the city were closed Wednesday.

Health officials said the symptoms reported so far were primarily eye and throat irritation. Testing was ongoing to determine the chemical’s concentration in the air and whether it posed additional health risks.

Kristine Kowalinski, who lives just outside the affected area, said she was staying inside because she’s sensitive even to smoke from wood burning outside. She said she’s worried about what’s in the air and on the ground.

“My main concern is how did that affect everything overnight when it was raining down on cars, houses, my garden,” she said.

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Kapszukiewicz said the chemical is liquid inside the tank but becomes a gas when 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,” the mayor said, adding that it can hold 5,500 gallons of the chemical in liquid form. He said officials don’t know what caused the explosion.

People who come into contact with glycidyl methacrylate may feel as if their eyes, nose, mouth and skin are burning, the city fire department said. Overexposure can cause headaches, dizziness, tiredness, nausea and vomiting.

“It’s really toxic if you touch it, if you ingest it,” said Karim Baroudi, director of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department. “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.

Emergency and hazardous material crews were not approaching the tank because of the risk of another explosion, Kapszukiewicz said.

Arkansas-based MC Tank Transport said in a statement the company is working with the fire department and other emergency authorities. Company representatives were on their way to Toledo, Kapszukiewicz said.

“Our immediate and overriding concern is the safety of area residents, emergency responders and our employees,” the company said.