Probable cause of styrene gas leak in Whitewater Township determined [Video]

WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) – The probable cause of how a toxic chemical began leaking into the air Tuesday has been determined.

Hamilton County Emergency Management officials said it was not a train derailment, but a railcar with a valve open, releasing styrene gas.

The styrene gas started venting into the air after a railcar’s additive stabilizer became ineffective, Mike Miller with Central Railroad of Indiana explained Wednesday.

When asked if the additive was past its expiration date or got too hot, Miller said that is something they are investigating.

“I honestly don’t know the right answer to that question,” Miller explained. “We’re actually investigating that. It could have been a combination of both.”

He did say there was nothing wrong with the railcar, though.

Miller said the railcar was designed to vent the gas, which would prevent it from exploding.

Schools and businesses remain closed and a half-mile evacuation …