Evacuation order lifted for Ohio town where dangerous chemical leak occurred

WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) — Residents in an Ohio community where a dangerous chemical leak occurred are being allowed to return to their homes. An evacuation order was issued shortly after styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical that is used to make plastic and rubber, began leaking Tuesday afternoon from a railcar in Whitewater Township, a community of about 6,000 people just west of Cincinnati. Anyone within a half-mile of the area was told to leave immediately as a precaution, and several area schools were closed. The area has a mix of businesses, homes and large swaths of undeveloped land. The evacuation order was lifted Wednesday night.