The EPA identified three more dangerous chemicals on the train that derailed in East Palestine, OH.
The chemicals are ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, and isobutylene.
The agency already identified vinyl chloride.
Almost 50 cars on the freight train derailed near the Pennsylvania line on February 3:
“The post-derailment fire spanned about the length of the derailed train cars,” Michael Graham, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters Saturday evening. “The fire has since reduced in intensity, but remains active and the two main tracks are still blocked.”Norfolk Southern said 20 of the more than 100 cars were classified as carrying hazardous materials — defined as cargo that could pose any kind of danger “including flammables, combustibles, or environmental risks.” Graham said 14 cars carrying vinyl chloride were involved in the derailment “and have been exposed to fire,” and at least one “is intermittently releasing the contents of the car through a pressure release device as designed.”
The residents evacuated but could return after the authorities burned the vinyl chloride in a controlled burn. Authorities tried to convince people the air was safe.
However, residents remained weary because they never released a full list of the chemicals on the train. They demanded more transparency.
“The biggest question remaining is what, if anything, is still being released from the site, first and foremost,” Johns Hopkins University environmental health professor Peter DeCarlo told The Washington Post. “If there are still residual chemical emissions, then that still presents a danger for people in the area.”
WELP.
I wonder what they’re going to say about the new chemicals.
Hazardous material expert Sil Caggiano told WXBN, “We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.”
Caggiano also provided details about the chemicals:
Caggiano says ethylhexyl acrylate is especially worrisome. He says it’s a carcinogen and contact with it can cause burning and irritation in the skin and eyes. Breathing it in can irritate the nose and throat and cause coughing and shortness of breath.Isobutylene is also known to cause dizziness and drowsiness when inhaled.“I was surprised when they quickly told the people they can go back home, but then said if they feel like they want their homes tested they can have them tested. I would’ve far rather they did all the testing,” Caggiano said.Caggiano says it’s possible some of these chemicals could still be present in homes and on objects until you clean them thoroughly.“There’s a lot of what ifs, and we’re going to be looking at this thing 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the line and wondering, ‘Gee, cancer clusters could pop up, you know, well water could go bad,” Caggiano said.
West Virginia American Water started “enhancing its water treatment process” due to the explosion.
But where is Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg? Making jokes about too many white people in construction.
Here is an excellent thread with information about the crash and the chemicals that we know of so far that were on the train.
I wonder if the residents will get all the answers.
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