Chemical release at MC Tank terminal in Toledo forces a 1-mile evacuation; zone cut to half a mile as 35 people seek hospital care

A haze of hazardous material released from a chemical tank at a trucking terminal forced hundreds of Toledo, Ohio, residents to evacuate or shelter in place on Wednesday, according to USA TODAY on Oct. 21. The release began at about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the MC Tank Transport terminal in north Toledo, releasing glycidyl methacrylate — an industrial coating product stored as a liquid but released into the air as a gas — Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said at a news conference on Oct. 21.

Toledo Fire and Rescue initially ordered residents within a 1-mile radius — about 983 people — to evacuate, and advised those within a 3-mile radius to shelter in place, keeping doors and windows closed and turning off ventilation systems that draw in outside air. Authorities warned early in the incident that the tank could become explosive within 12 hours, and crews could not approach it. The release came from a 5,500-gallon tank because of an "error" that occurred when the material was being transferred, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Bryant Somerville said. Kapszukiewicz had called the incident an explosion of the chemical tank, but city spokesperson Rachel Hart later clarified that no explosion occurred.

By about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, conditions were improving: the tank's temperature had dropped significantly and less gas was being vented, the city reduced the evacuation zone to a half-mile radius, and the shelter-in-place order was lifted. State and federal authorities decided to let the chemical vent out of the tank rather than have first responders try to actively stop the leak. "As long as there is still material in the tank, there is a risk of explosion, and crews cannot approach it," Hart said.

At least 35 people reported to local hospitals with symptoms potentially related to the chemical leak, the ProMedica health care system said; most were treated and released. One person, a sheriff's deputy, was injured and transported himself to a hospital. The chemical can cause burning of the eyes, nose, mouth and skin, and overexposure symptoms include headache, dizziness, tiredness, nausea and vomiting, the city said. "It's mostly an irritant at this point," Lucas County Regional Board of Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi said. Two school districts — Toledo Public Schools, serving roughly 21,000 students across 57 schools, and Washington Local Schools, serving about 6,600 students — canceled classes on Wednesday.

MC Tank Transport specializes in liquid bulk transport; it stores the chemical at its Ohio terminal and then transports it, and an employee first called 911 to report the leak. The company, acquired in 2025 by North Canton, Ohio-based Kenan Advantage Group, said its immediate concern is the safety of residents, first responders and employees, that it is working with authorities, and that it is committed to assisting those affected.