The Toledo chemical leak that sickened dozens of residents this week is easing, officials said Oct. 22, as the shelter-in-place order was lifted and the area under evacuation shrank. Local hospitals have treated 57 people since a tank at MC Tank Transport in north Toledo began releasing glycidyl methacrylate the night of Oct. 20. Seven people were still receiving treatment on Oct. 22, but none of them were in serious condition.
As of the morning of Oct. 22, officials reduced the evacuation zone to a quarter-mile radius around the site, down from a full mile in the hours after the release. “The tank is still releasing material, but the release has slowed significantly, and the tank temperature continues to decrease,” the city said in an update.
Toledo chemical leak began during chemical transfer
The chemical escaped into the air because of an “error” during its transfer, according to Bryant Somerville, a spokesperson for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Authorities have not released further details about the cause. It was an employee at MC Tank who first called 911 to report the release, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said.
The Toledo chemical leak released the substance as a gas. City officials described it as mostly an “irritant” rather than an immediate health risk. Glycidyl methacrylate is an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics, paints and coatings perform better, according to a statement from MC Tank Transport. Residents in the area reported a chemical smell, but officials said the odor was not a sign of danger to health.
What patients reported after the Toledo chemical leak
The most common symptoms reported were shortness of breath and chest tightness, according to ProMedica spokesperson Tausha Moore. The ProMedica health care system has seen about 50 of the patients. They most commonly received breathing treatments.
Patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD had the most serious symptoms, Moore said. A sheriff’s deputy was among those who needed treatment after responding to the scene, Kapszukiewicz said at a news conference on Oct. 21. Toledo city spokesperson Rachel Hart told USA TODAY on Oct. 22 that seven people were still receiving treatment.
Explosion risk in the Toledo chemical leak incident
Authorities watched closely for a risk of explosion within the first 12 hours after the initial release. The city later said there was a risk of an explosion beyond that window, as long as liquid remained inside the tank. The temperature and pressure in the tank were decreasing as of Oct. 22, lowering the explosion risk.
Kapszukiewicz first described the incident as an explosion of the chemical tank on Oct. 21. Hart later told USA TODAY that no explosion occurred. The correction came as confusion lingered among residents who had seen the emergency response and heard early, conflicting descriptions of the Toledo chemical leak.
The Toledo chemical leak prompted evacuation orders and shelter-in-place orders affecting hundreds of residents around the north Toledo facility. Some residents were allowed back into their homes on Oct. 22 as conditions improved, officials said. As the response to the Toledo chemical leak entered its third day, the city said air monitors continued to show improvement across the area.
The city said its goal for the day was to transition cleanup responsibilities back to MC Tank. The decision to reduce the evacuation zone came as the Environmental Protection Agency logged improved air quality in the surrounding area, the city said. Officials said monitoring of air quality around the site continued as crews tracked the slow release and falling tank temperature.
“As tank pressure decreases, so does the explosion risk, and crews have begun preparing to enter as conditions improve,” the city said. “The evacuation will remain in place until the explosion risk has passed.”
MC Tank Transport said glycidyl methacrylate is stored as a liquid, and it is most toxic in that form. The chemical was released as a gas, and city officials said exposure at the measured levels was mostly an irritant to residents rather than an immediate health risk. The company did not release further details about the transfer error that started the Toledo chemical leak.