[ad_1]
A chemical leak from a rail car in Riverside County, California has led to evacuations as officials warn of a potential “violent explosion”.
The car is leaking styrene, a chemical used to make latex, rubber and some plastics, and is reportedly extremely hot.
The railway runs parallel to Interstate 215, and officials have shut down the highway in both directions and evacuated residents in the homes surrounding the leak.
The leak, which is in Perris, California, south of San Bernadino, was first reported Thursday night. Officials first responded to a plume of smoke, fire chief John Crater said on Friday morning.
The leak could resolve itself in a couple of days, or “get worse before it gets better”, Mr Crater added.
About 170 homes have been evacuated over a half-mile radius. A shelter has been opened up at a local middle school.
While the car was still over 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius) by Friday, it had gotten cooler, officials said.
But since heat had built in the car, Mr Crater said, which could lead to an explosion. The car was “too dangerous to get close to it,” he said, because of the intense heat.
Officials are monitoring the rail car with drones. It’s unclear what kind of chemical reaction occurred to start this incident. Officials also do not know how the leak began.
People exposed to a lot of styrene can suffer from irritated eyes and respiratory systems, with long-term exposure linked to nervous system damage, the US Center for Disease Control says.
Health impacts from low levels of styrene exposure are unknown, the agency adds.
Hazmat experts, firefighters and environmental health experts are reportedly working to manage the leak.
This is a breaking story, more to follow
[ad_2]
Source link
