Styrene leak center company announces closure of Addyston factory

ADDYSTON, Ohio – The company that was in the middle of a styrene leak forced evacuations and closures in Whitewater Township has announced it is permanently closing its Addyston factory.

INEOS said in an October 30 release it will 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 needed to remain competitive.

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

Harrington did not notice the styrene leak upon release.

Addyston Mayor Lisa Mear said the closure is “devastating” for the village, which gets more than a third of its total tax revenue from income taxes on factory employees.

“This will have serious consequences for our community and our people here,” Mear said. “I would certainly like some answers about how they plan to withdraw and what this will look like for us.”

Plant officials could not be reached for comment on the “dismantling process” they announced in Wednesday’s press release. They also did not answer questions about how many people still work at the factory, which started as a pipe and steel company in 1889 and switched to plastics when Monsanto bought it in 1952.

Officials believe a faulty stabilizer led to the styrene leak from a train car on US 50 near Kilby Road on September 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 he allowed the styrene tankers to remain on their tracks before the leak began because the customer, the INEOS plant, did not have the capacity to receive them.

To date, the only public statement INEOS has made about the incident is a filing in federal court, in which it successfully argued to combine five ongoing lawsuits into one proposed class action case. The consolidated complaint seeks more than $5 million on behalf of thousands of Ohioans, including people who lived outside the evacuation zone but were still affected by the styrene leak.

“INEOS does not admit any fact, nor the existence of any category, injury or liability to any defendant. INEOS mentions the allegations made in the state’s lawsuits solely for the purpose of expungement,” attorneys from the law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister wrote in a court filing in October.