Another Evacuation in the Heartland Due to Chemical Leak on Train

HAMILTON COUNTY - An evacuation has been in effect in Whitewater Township after a train car containing styrene sprung a leak, leading to a potentially deadly situation in the heartland.
The major uses for styrene are in plastics, latex paints and coatings, synthetic rubbers, polyesters and styrene-alkyd coatings. The gas is incredibly toxic when inhaled and flammable. Due to the volatile nature of the leak, the Whitewater fire department issued a statement ordering an evacuation of a three-quarter mile radius. According to officials, the leak was coming from the valve on the train car. The car has been disconnected from the train and fire fighters have been working quickly to douse the car with water to prevent a fire. Officials say over 210 homes were evacuated due to the chemical spill. As of 11:00 p.m., authorities claim the spill has been contained but the area has not been deemed safe for residents to return.

There is currently no estimate on when the chemical spill will be cleaned up enough for residents to return home. A shelter has been opened for residents at the Whitewater Township Community Center. Some with information in the field of compressed gasses have argued that the two most likely causes for the leak would be a faulty pressure release valve or overfilling of the tank. The leak comes a little over a year after the disastrous East Palestine train derailment which saw emergency services and Norfolk Southern detonate several tanker cars that had derailed, flooding the town of East Palestine and surrounding area with hazardous chemicals.
The railcar is located on property owned by Central Railroad of Indiana, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., which owns or leases more than 100 railroads across North America. It is unclear who was responsible for checking safety features on the car or filling the contents of the car.
Over a year after one of the most disastrous chemical spills in the state's history, there has still been no accountability for those responsible for the East Palestine derailment, nor any changes in Ohio Revised Code that could increase safety or decrease potential chemical spill events for the 1.6 Billion tons of material that pass through the state railways.