Employee error blamed for toxic chemical leak that sent 60 people to hospital in Ohio

A chemical leak that sent 60 people to the hospital and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes has been blamed on an employee error.

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz announced the cause of the tank leak at a news conference on Friday and said that all remaining evacuation orders in Toledo, Ohio.

The chemical leak happened Tuesday night when an employee of MC Tank Transport “introduced a temperature level to the tank in the process of trying to transfer the liquid" that caused a chemical reaction, the mayor said.

MC Tank Transport said the tank contained glycidyl methacrylate, which it described as “an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics, paints and coatings perform better.”

The evacuation orders were lifted after the company finished venting the tank that ruptured. That allowed a hazmat team to enter the site and test safety levels.

“At this time, we do feel confident that the site is safe," Toledo Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Blake Molnar said.

Dr Brian Kaminski, vice president of medical affairs for ProMedica hospitals, said about 60 patients were treated at the hospital, most suffering relatively minor symptoms. A small number of patients who had underlying health conditions were admitted, he said, and all patients were expected to recover.

The company has “accepted responsibility” for what happened, the mayor said.

“There was no fire, there was no explosion. There was a very serious chemical reaction, which now happily has run its course, and we’re now finally able to return to some level of normalcy here in our community," he said.

Based on data that officials have seen so far, the amount of the chemical in the air didn't reach levels high enough to have “a long-term meaningful impact on human health,” according to Kapszukiewicz.

However,, some wuestions remain unanswered at the investigation is ongoing, he added.