Evacuation Order Lifted After Chemical Leak at Texas Plant

Evacuation Order Lifted After Chemical Leak at Texas Plant
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant is seen in Middletown, Pa., on March 28, 2011. (Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)

LA PORTE, Texas—An evacuation order has been lifted in an industrial area of a Houston-area city following a chemical release earlier in the week.

Dow Chemical said Thursday there’s “no longer a risk of community impact” in areas surrounding its chemical plant in La Porte, about 25 miles east of Houston.

A tank-truck trailer over-pressurized on Wednesday, causing the chemical, hydroxyethyl acrylate, to escape through a safety valve, officials have said. A shelter-in-place order was issued shortly afterward amid air quality concerns, but that order was lifted after monitoring found no issues.

The evacuation order had remained in place within a half-mile radius of the plant, but that was lifted by midday Thursday. Dow Chemical said late Thursday that the tank was isolated and the site was stable.

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