Evacuations lifted in Michigan after chemical truck heats up

ADRIAN, Mich. – Officials have lifted an evacuation order near a southern Michigan chemical manufacturer after a tanker truck hauling a paint chemical began to heat up.

The Daily Telegram of Adrian reports none of the n-butyl methacrylate was released Tuesday.

The evacuation order was made around noon for everyone in a half-mile radius of Anderson Development in Adrian. It was lifted after 5 p.m.

The Lenawee County sheriff’s office said in a news release that the evacuations were precautionary.

The Methacrylate Producers Association says on its website that the colorless liquid is produced as a building block to make a wide range of polymer-based products that include paints and coatings. The website says the chemical can cause skin and respiratory irritation.

No one answered the phone Tuesday afternoon at Anderson Development.

Adrian is about 60 miles (96.6 kilometres) southwest of Detroit.