Hundreds were evacuated from their homes Tuesday night after a chemical spill in a small Ohio city, according to police.
A train derailment at CSX Railroad in Willard, Ohio led to the release of a styrene monomer — “highly flammable” chemical — into the air, said Willard Police Department Detective Jeremy Draper.
About 500 people were ordered to leave their homes after the spill was reported to police at 11:42 p.m. Tuesday night, Draper said.
Willard Police Sgt. Ryan Gillmor said police went “door to door” to urge people to leave their homes. Gillmor said no one had been reported injured, and everyone in the hazardous area had escaped by Wednesday morning.
“Again, if you live within a one-half mile of the Main Street underpasses, LEAVE YOUR HOME NOW. THIS IS NOT A DRILL,” read a tweet from the City of Willard’s Twitter page at 2:51 a.m.
According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), styrene is used to manufacture plastics and rubbers. Exposure to styrene could cause “headache, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, malaise, difficulty in concentrating, and a feeling of intoxication,” the OSHA website said.
According to Draper, styrene monomer vapors “may form explosive mixtures when mixed with air, may irritate or burn skin or eyes and may cause dizziness or suffocation.”
Draper said it would be “hours” before residents were allowed back into their homes. The leak was plugged on Wednesday morning, but crews had not yet started the cleanup process, Draper said.
Willard, a town with a population of about 6,000, is 80 miles north of Columbus.