This happened on February 3rd, and I’m just hearing about it.
I’m seeing other reports that maintenance has been neglected on the train cars. Additional video shows sparks before the incident. How that reminds me of the California fires when we lived there. The first big one, the power company had neglected their responsibility to trim trees around the power wires.
There were more toxic chemicals aboard the train that derailed in Ohio than originally reported, new data shows.
The train was pulling at least five tanker cars containing vinyl chloride, a colorless but hazardous gas used to produce PVC plastic and vinyl products.
Acute exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride, a classified human carcinogen, in the air has been linked to central nervous system effects, while chronic exposure has been shown to cause liver damage, including a rare form of liver cancer, according to the EPA.
When vinyl chloride burns it decomposes into hydrogen chloride and phosgene, according to the International Programme on Chemical Safety.
Phosgene is highly poisonous and was used extensively during World War I as a choking agent, while hydrogen chloride is irritating and corrosive to any tissue with which it comes into contact.
Reports of dead animals and fish in streams. Mankind is always causing their own disasters.
I did the simple math (yesterday) based on 10 rail cars (originally said) and it was astronomical.
Approx 10 rail cars x ~30,000 (swimming pool) gallons (if all full) = ~300,00gal, 748gal = 1ton, 748/300,00gal = ~401tons
Then saw a letter from EPA saying 20? So double: ~600,000gal /802 tons!! Of course, I’m assuming a “water” liquid gallon and I didn’t look up density of C2H3Cl. [I just did look up D = 911 kg/m³ and H2O D=997 kg/m³] So not too far off and a spill of this size --a moot point.
Devastation and our leadership are literally killing us. I’m really concerned for those that live downwind and in vicinity. Trying to look up past wind data. Of course, the gov has models for this (I used them on the ship for worse things, but same concept, downwind fallout). This is one model they need to be getting to the public. So frustrating. Bad news doesn’t get better with age.
In light of this horrible situation, it is encouraging to see it finally getting some national coverage. Outside of the EPA, it’s sort of unimaginable that the Fed’s have not stepped in, like FEMA. I’m no chemical expert, but burning off the chemicals always sounded like a bad idea.
While they keep saying the water is safe, even Cincinnati cut off its water supply from the Ohio river out of “caution.”