TOLEDO, Ohio — Everyone living within a mile of the MC Tank Terminal in north Toledo had to leave home Tuesday night. The City of Toledo said a hazardous materials release there was still going on Wednesday morning, hours after it began.
The order came from Toledo Fire & Rescue at 10:48 p.m. Tuesday and covered the streets around 1266 Progress Ave., the city said. A wider order followed at 4:24 a.m. Wednesday: within three miles, residents were told to stay inside, shut windows and doors, and switch off ventilation that pulls in outside air.
Shoreland Elementary School is open as a shelter for people leaving the zone. At the Meijer lot off East Alexis Road, the city said, Red Cross help and TARTA buses are waiting for anyone who needs a place to go.
MC Tank Transport Inc. named the chemical in a statement, the Akron Beacon Journal reported: glycidyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used in plastics, paints and coatings. Contact can burn the eyes, nose, mouth and skin, the city said, calling the chemical an irritant.
The symptoms of too much exposure, the city said, run from headache and dizziness to tiredness, nausea and vomiting. People with mild irritation should shower or rinse the affected area and contact a medical professional. Anyone with serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, nausea and vomiting, dizziness or confusion, should go to an emergency room or call 911, the city said, and health questions can go to the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department at 419-213-4100.
The city’s page, last updated at 7:30 a.m., said no injuries or fatalities had been reported and that there had been no explosion, only a release. At a morning news conference, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said one first responder, a Lucas County sheriff’s deputy, had gone to a hospital with the only known injuries, the Beacon Journal reported.
Toledo Public Schools and Washington Local Schools canceled classes for Wednesday, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Dense fog and very little wind are limiting visibility across Toledo, and the city warned residents not to judge the air by how it looks.
“You can’t tell fog from the release by looking, so please don’t rely on how the air looks.”
People outside both zones who smell an unusual odor should stay indoors and close windows and doors, the city said.
The city said updates will be posted on its website and on Toledo Fire & Rescue social media, with alerts from Lucas County EMA.
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