Dear Residents of Zaleski,
I want to personally acknowledge the concern and disruption caused by the recent nitrogen oxide (NOₓ) release at our Red Diamond Plant on the morning of June 11. The entire Austin Powder family recognizes the concerns and inconveniences associated with this incident, particularly to those of you who had to evacuate your homes out of caution. Please know that your safety and well-being remain our highest priority.
The release occurred when a chemical reaction inside a partially filled nitric acid storage tank led to the venting of nitrogen oxide gas. While the nitric acid remained fully contained, we fully recognize the seriousness of what occurred and the inconvenience it caused our neighbors.
When this incident happened, our facility took action to stabilize the situation and notified the proper authorities. Our built-in safety systems functioned as intended, and we have worked closely with the Ohio EPA and local first responders. All information indicates no contamination of drinking water or soil.
Following comprehensive inspections and safety evaluations, we anticipate that the Red Diamond Plant will safely resume operations as early as Monday, June 16, but it could be later in the week. This will only occur once we receive final clearance from the appropriate regulatory agencies and are fully confident in the safety of the site for both our employees and the surrounding community.
We are also conducting an internal investigation and, where appropriate, we will be implementing additional safety reviews.
If you incurred expenses due to the evacuation—such as hotel stays, gas, or other reasonable costs—we want to make that right. Please contact us at 216-839-5469 or claims@austinpowder.com to discuss reimbursement. We remain committed to clear, open communication and will continue to provide updates as we move forward.
Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and understanding. We are proud to be part of this community, and we are committed to restoring your confidence in us.
With sincere appreciation,
John Rathbun
President & CEO, Austin Powder
We are a traditional manufacturer of initiation systems for industrial blasting operations and an important technological and research base for production and further development of initiation systems.
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