VINTON COUNTY, Ohio — Vinton County residents in Zaleski and nearby areas were asked to evacuate their homes on Wednesday, June 11 after a tank began leaking at the Austin Powder factory, releasing a plume of nitric oxide into the sky.
The plume of nitric oxide was visible in Vinton County on the morning of Wednesday, June 11. Photos by Kennedi Kovaleski, used with permission.
The evacuation was lifted as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“Residents may now safely return to their homes,” according to a statement from the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office. “Air monitoring and on-site evaluations confirm that levels at the facility are within safe limits.”
The incident occurred when “3,000 gallons of nitric acid entered a 5,000-gallon process tank at the plant and had a reaction in the tank,” Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Public Information Officer Dina Pierce said in an email. “The reaction within the tank created nitrogen oxide gas and was vented to the atmosphere. The air release of nitric oxide gas has since been stopped.”
Jackson County Emergency Management Director Robert Czechlewski said a worker at the facility discovered the leak, which was first reported around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
“Immediately after discovering the NOₓ release, Austin Powder activated its emergency response protocols and notified the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” according to a statement from Austin Powder.
The company has previously faced fines for numerous violations of the Clean Water Act, and a 2009 explosion at the facility killed one person and injured at least two others, NBC4 reported.
The company said that no nitric acid, which is substantially more lethal than nitric oxide, was released at the factory Wednesday. It also said, “Air quality modeling shows that preliminary NOₓ concentration levels at the plant’s fence line were below health-hazard thresholds.”
The extent and movement of the chemical plume was monitored by the National Weather Service office out of Charleston, West Virginia throughout the day on Wednesday.
Megan Kiebler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Charleston told the Independent that, due to high pressure, “The winds weren’t really doing a whole lot, so the plume wasn’t moving far away from the plant.”
Kiebler said that the weather service stopped monitoring the plume Wednesday evening.
“They had gotten the leak contained so they didn’t need us to provide any more data for them,” Kiebler said.
Kiebler said the weather service’s final modeling showed the plume contained within Vinton County.
Czechlewski said the gas will disperse over time.
“It’s not gonna be really in the ground,” Czechlewski said.
A press release from the Vinton County’s sheriff’s office, health department and emergency management agency said, “Based on information at the scene and from public safety partners, there is no reason to believe that water from private water wells is unsafe for drinking, and that includes agricultural wells used for animals.”
Czechlewski said the plant is located in a “very rural location” with few surrounding residences. He added that the other facilities at the factory are spread out to prevent a chain reaction from occurring.
“If there is any kind of incident in one facility, it would normally not affect other facilities,” Czechlewski said.
The entire village of Zaleski as well as the residents of State Route 677 (Powder Plant Road) between U.S. Route 50 and State Route 278, Morgan Road, Infirmary Road, and Creek Road were asked to evacuate on Wednesday. According to a Facebook from the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office, an emergency shelter was operated by the Red Cross and United Way at the Vinton County High School in McArthur.
Brad Price from the Vinton County Health department recommended that those feeling side effects from exposure wash their eyes and skin with fresh clean water. If symptoms persist, Price said residents should contact their regular doctor.
“You’re looking at symptoms that range from irritation of eyes, skin, nose and throat, to drowsiness and maybe some unconsciousness,” Price said. He said deaths have been reported from nitrous oxide exposure, though not from the current incident.
Price said the health department’s advice pertains to acute exposure.
“There’s not going to be anything that we know in the long term with the recentness of all of this,” Price said.
In terms of non-human exposure, Czechlewski recommended that people monitor the behavior of their pets and other animals.
“In the immediate zone there, I’d say that people should probably really watch their livestock, seeing if they’re having any symptoms,” Czechlewski said.
Czechlewski said that so far there have been no reports of injuries or hospitalizations from the incident.
Hazmat teams from Jackson, Vinton and Ross counties have responded to the spill. Czechlewski said that the Vinton County EMA already had an emergency response plan in place for the Austin Powder factory as part of routine emergency planning and training.
According to its website, the Austin Powder factory produces industrial explosives used for mining, construction, manufacturing and more.
“Austin Powder is closely coordinating with local authorities and first responders and has launched an internal investigation into the incident,” the company said in a press release. “The company is also committed to supporting external agencies in their ongoing assessments.”
Note: This story was updated Wednesday to include comment from the Ohio EPA. It was also updated Thursday at noon to include more up to date information, including comment from Austin Powder.
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