People get questions answered after being impacted by styrene leak from Ohio train car

WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP — People got some answers about a styrene gas leak that forced them out of their homes in Ohio last week.

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As previously reported by News Center 7, the Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) told people to stay inside after firefighters responded to a reported chemical leak near State Route 128.

Dozens of people attended a question-and-answer session with the Central Railroad of Indiana, Whitewater Township firefighters, and the Hamilton County EMA.

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They explained how they tested the air and found no dangerous levels of styrene were ever detected.

“But when it (styrene) does get released into the environment, it quickly dissipates and it quickly goes away,” said Greg Kesterman, Hamilton County Health Commissioner. “It is not water-soluble; it does not like to join the water and go into the ground.”

One of the most common questions asked Tuesday night was why a train car filled with dangerous chemicals was parked near a community for a week.

Central Railroad of Indiana said the company that owned the tanker car had no space to store it.

The railroad company promised people that it would not happen again.

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