The company at the center of the Styroll leak announces the closure of its Addyston plant

ADDYSTON, Ohio – The company at the center of a styrene leak that forced evacuations and closures in Whitewater Township announced it will permanently close its Addyston plant.

INEOS said in a press release on October 30 that it would begin a “safe and responsible decommissioning process” at its Addyston manufacturing site in the second quarter of 2025. The site produces acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) polymers used in various industries.

CEO Steve Harrington said the decision to close the plant came after the company analyzed the economic value of the plant and the investments required to remain competitive.

“This difficult but necessary decision is driven primarily by external market conditions and does not reflect the performance or commitment of our Addyston team,” Harrington said in a news release. “The company recognizes the significant impact this decision will have on affected employees and is committed to respectfully supporting them through this transition.”

Harrington did not mention the styrene leak in the press release.

Officials believe a faulty stabilizer bar led to the styrene leak from a rail car on U.S. 50 near Kilby Road on Sept. 24. On the day of the accident, the Federal Emergency Management Agency told Hamilton County officials that an explosion could kill 227 people and seriously injure 281 others.

A Central Railroad of Indiana official said the styrene tankers were allowed to remain on the tracks before the leak began because their customer, the INEOS plant, did not have the capacity to accommodate them.

INEOS's only public statement on the incident so far comes from a filing in federal court, in which the company successfully argued to combine five pending lawsuits into a proposed class action lawsuit. The consolidated lawsuit seeks more than $5 million on behalf of thousands of Ohio residents, including people who lived outside the evacuation zone but were still affected by the styrene leak.

“INEOS does not admit any facts or the existence of any class, damages or liability of any defendant. INEOS states that the allegations made in the state litigation are for deportation purposes only,” lawyers at the law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister wrote in an October court filing.