ADRIAN, Mich. — Authorities are investigating chemical leak that briefly forced some Adrian residents to shelter in place Wednesday morning.
Anderson Development Company, which manufacturers chemicals, alerted authorities early Wednesday after problems with a batch of urethane at about 4 a.m. caused a leak of toluene diisocyanate vapors, which can cause cancer if inhaled.
The company released a statement Wednesday that said they called Adrian Fire Department about the issue. The Adrian County Sheriff's Office also responded around 5:45 a.m.
Out of an abundance of caution, the company's statement said, company officials and emergency responders decided to declare a shelter-in-place order for people within a half-mile of ADC's plant on East Michigan Street. The order was lifted around 9:15 a.m..
Company officials said air monitoring Wednesday morning has shown the public was never in any jeopardy from the cancer-causing chemical, according to the statement.
Toluene diisocyanate, or TDI, is used in the production of many household items, including rollerblade wheels and couch cushions, the company said. "While finished products produced from TDI are common, the raw materials have some safety concerns," the company's statement said.
Anderson Development Corporation is conducting an internal investigation into the incident, "to ensure that we understand what happened and how we can prevent anything like this from happening again," the company's statement said.
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