What Toxic Chemicals Were Aboard the Derailed Train in Ohio? (original) (raw)

Climate|What Toxic Chemicals Were Aboard the Derailed Train in Ohio?

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/15/climate/ohio-train-fire-toxic-chemicals.html

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The train was carrying industrial materials used in plastics, paint thinners and other products, according to information provided to the federal government.

Two people in protective body suits and breathing masks face each other. One person’s hands are extended while the other holds a small yellow device near them.

Workers prepare to enter the area where the disaster took place.Credit...Ohio National Guard, via Associated Press

Feb. 15, 2023

Health and environmental concerns are mounting after the train derailment and toxic chemical fire this month in eastern Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border. According to information provided to the Environmental Protection Agency by the rail operator, Norfolk Southern, around 20 of the train’s roughly 150 cars were carrying hazardous materials. A meeting for residents about the chemical spill is planned for Wednesday evening.

Here’s a quick guide to the chemicals that people might have been exposed to in the disaster.

Vinyl chloride

Five of the cars that derailed were transporting vinyl chloride, a colorless gas with what toxicologists describe as a “mild, sweet odor.”

Vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride, better known as PVC, which goes into plastic pipes, cable coatings and packaging materials. It has been found in the air near PVC factories and hazardous waste sites, and can leach into groundwater.

Inhaling it can cause dizziness and disorientation, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Prolonged exposure has been linked to higher rates of liver angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

Last week, the authorities in Ohio decided to release and burn the vinyl chloride in the derailed cars after they were warned that the cargo might explode if they didn’t intervene. When burned, vinyl chloride decomposes into gases including hydrogen chloride and phosgene.

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