The investigators' symptoms included sore throats, headaches, coughing and nausea – consistent with what some residents experienced after the February 3 train derailment that released a cocktail of hazardous chemicals into the air, water and soil.
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They are: vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylene glycol, isobutylene, and ethylhexyl acrylate. Here's a quick rundown of each chemical's toxicity — and their byproducts when burned, which can also be toxic. Vinyl chloride has gotten the most attention so far. It's a colorless, flammable gas and known carcinogen.
“Eleven of the derailed cars contained hazardous materials, some of which are used to make plastics. Vinyl chloride, a cancer-causing substance, was among the primary chemicals released in the crash, according to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency spokesman James Lee.
When the train derailed two weeks ago, it sent things like butyl acrylate into the Ohio River. The chemical has a fruity smell and inhaling it can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
While fatalities from train derailments are rare, derailments themselves are actually quite common. From 1990, the first year the BTS began tracking derailments and injuries on a yearly basis, to 2022, there have been 55,741 accidents in which a train derailed. That's an average of 1,689 derailments per year.