Ohio chemical spill sparks mass evacuations and flight groundings
Authorities confirmed that a 5,000-gallon tank containing nitric acid leaked at the Austin Powder Red Diamond plant in McArthur, Vinton County.
Flights have been grounded and residents evacuated as a huge chemical spill at a plant in Ohio led to the release of hazardous plume into the air.
Authorities confirmed the incident that occurred on Wednesday, June 11, confirmed that a 5,000-gallon tank containing nitric acid leaked at Austin Powder Red Diamond plant in McArthur, Vinton County, a plant known for making explosives, reports the Mirror.
Due to the leak, Vinton County Sheriff's Office issued an "immediate evacuation order" for the surrounding Zaleski area. Flights within 3,700 square miles of airspace have been banned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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Images from the scene showed a yellow-brown cloud rising above the plant, later confirmed as nitric oxide.
Officials at the National Weather Service in Charleston, West Virginia are monitoring the movement of the plume. The extent to which it spreads will dpeend on the wind conditions and how much was released, according to Jackson County Emergency Management Director Robert Czechlewski.
"Normally an incident like this will probably last a few hours" he said.
Brad Price, an official with the Vinton County Health Department, warned that high exposure to nitric oxide can cause ""symptoms that range from irritation of eyes, skin, nose and throat, to drowsiness and maybe some unconsciousness".
A statement from the Austin Powder plant in McArthur said there had been an unexpected release of nitric acid.
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