WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) - Styrene, the toxic and highly flammable and volatile liquid chemical leaking from a railyard in western Hamilton County is widely used to make plastics and rubber.

Those products are used to manufacture a variety of products, such as insulation, pipes, automobile parts, printing cartridges, food containers, and carpet backing.

Styrene also is found in tobacco smoke.

In its pure form, styrene has a sweet smell. Manufactured styrene may contain aldehydes, which give it a sharp, unpleasant odor.

So far, there have been no reports of any injuries from the chemical leak or anyone reporting being exposed to styrene, according to Mike Siefke, Chief of the Little Miami Joint Fire & Rescue District.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was called Tuesday to help set up air quality monitoring services.

The most common health problems in workers exposed to styrene involve the nervous system, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People may feel tiredness, have slowed reaction times, concentration problems and balance issues if they are exposed to styrene concentrations more than 1,000 times higher than the levels normally found in the environment.

If you come in contact with styrene, wash your skin with soap and water and remove and wash clothing, flush eyes with large amounts of water for 15 minutes and remove contacts. If inhaled, rinse your mouth and seek medical attention.

Several epidemiologic studies suggest there may be an association between styrene exposure and an increased risk of leukemia and lymphoma.

However, the evidence is inconclusive due to confounding factors, according to the U.S. EPA.

The EPA has not given a formal carcinogen classification to styrene.

Although the National Toxicology Program listed styrene as a reasonably anticipated carcinogen in 2011, the styrene listing was based on studies of workers exposed to high levels of styrene, according to the EPA.