Whitewater Twp. Residents affected by a styrene leak will receive a number of questions answered

WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Neighbors in Whitewater Township and surrounding areas got some questions answered Tuesday evening, a week after a styrene leak forced them to evacuate for more than 24 hours.

The meeting took the form of a question-and-answer session with more than a dozen officials from a number of organizations answering questions residents and business owners had in response to last week’s styrene leak, evacuation and shelter-in-place orders.

The Whitewater Township Community Center was packed with concerned citizens and business owners hoping to have their unanswered questions answered.

Representatives from the Central Railroad of Indiana, the Whitewater Township Fire Department, the Miami Township Board of Trustees, the Whitewater Township Board of Trustees, Village of Cleves, Hamilton County Public Health and the Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency were all in attendance.

The meeting began with Hamilton County Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman sharing data on air quality within evacuation or shelter areas following the leak.

“You can see that even though the standard is 100 parts per million, during the five sampling events on September 24 and 25, the highest levels we saw of styrene gas were 280 parts per billion,” Kesterman said as he showed it off. present a map of the evacuated areas and shelters.

Kesterman added that no dangerous levels of styrene have ever been detected. The first air quality tests took place around 4 p.m. on the day of the leak.

During the meeting, Kesterman was adamant that the original evacuation area was safe to return to, even as several residents reported experiencing symptoms after returning home.

Some symptoms residents shared included tasting metal, vomiting and pain. Kesterman said everyone should seek medical care if they experience symptoms, adding that not much research has been done on human exposure to styrene.

However, he reiterated several times that it is safe because styrene evaporates quickly and that this was not found in any water tests.

“But when it (styrene) gets into the environment, it dissipates and disappears quickly,” Kesterman says. “It’s not water soluble, it doesn’t like to join the water and go into the soil.”

He also said he and his team went to all restaurants and the local Kroger to make sure their buildings were safe and that they were following public health recommendations. By adding Kroger, he threw out all unpackaged food, cleaned the produce masters and followed all other recommendations.

One of the most common questions from community members was why a tanker truck filled with hazardous chemicals was parked near a community for a week.

Many called for new regulations or procedures to inform residents and the community when chemicals are parked near their homes, schools and water.

Central Railroad of Indiana said INEOS, the company that owned the tank car, did not have the capacity for the cars and asked the railroad to hold onto them. But they told residents this won’t happen again, prompting applause from the crowd.

“We immediately informed INEOS that you will no longer park cars on our railway line. when they arrive, they come to your facility immediately,” said Brian Stussie, Vice President of Operations for Central Railroad of Indiana.

Many other questions Tuesday evening focused on specific questions about the operation of the tankers and the pressure valve on the tank that leaked styrene. Officials said these questions were best directed to INEOS, which was not present at the meeting.

“INEOS was invited to this meeting. I have emailed INEOS several times and they have responded. I texted INEOS and they responded, but they never showed up,” said Whitewater Township Administrator Doug King.

Officials said all queries for INEOS will be sent to them, and if they receive a response it will be posted on the local EMA website.

One resident asked when criminal charges or a lawsuit would be filed against INEOS, holding INEOS responsible for the leak. Not a single official at the meeting had an answer, leaving many upset.

Anyone affected by the styrene leak and who has claims is encouraged to call the Central Railroad of Indiana at 1-800-757-7387.

Businesses affected by the breach and with claims for lost wages and other claims are encouraged to call 203-202-8920.