CINCINNATI, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Cincinnati police have expanded a mandatory evacuation in a half-mile radius near Lunken Airport because of a worsening chemical leak.
The styrene gas leak is in a tanker that belongs to Westlake Styrene Co. of Sulfur, La. A valve in the tank began leaking Sunday.
"The situation worsened overnight," said Lt. Kurt Byrd, Cincinnati police spokesman, told the Cincinnati Enquirer Monday.
Officials said a chemical added to stabilize the styrene is believed to have expired, which makes the styrene unstable, Byrd said.
Officers remain concerned that the heat building up in the tanker could make it explode, Byrd said. The fumes being released are a secondary consideration.
Byrd said the situation could go on for "hours to days."
Styrene is a synthetic chemical used to make plastics, rubber and resin.