How toxic was the train in Ohio?

“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.



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High levels of a hazardous chemical polluted the air weeks after the Ohio train derailment, an analysis shows. Concentrations of a chemical irritant called acrolein near the derailment site in late February were up to six times higher than normal, the study found.

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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.

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On Friday, February 3, 2023, at approximately 9:30 p.m., a Norfolk Southern train had 53 cars derail in East Palestine, Ohio. The site of the derailment is less than one mile from the Pennsylvania border.

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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.

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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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Keith Drabick, chief of East Palestine's volunteer fire department, made up of 38 members, made the final decision to vent and burn chemicals.

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“The decision was made to go ahead and allow that process to happen, to prevent that catastrophic failure of the railroad car, Drabick said. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has been called before both Ohio lawmakers and members of Congress, and he apologized for the derailment.

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