1 of 3 An aerial view of the area where a train derailed in Ohio, leaking a toxic chemical and burning. — Photo: Gene J. Puskar/AP An aerial photo of the area where a train derailed in Ohio, leaking a toxic chemical and burning. — Photo: Gene J. Puskar/AP
Earlier this month, a train derailed near the OhioPennsylvania border, causing a massive vinyl chloride spill and fire in the area.
The consequences of this fact are still being felt. Families living up to 1 mile from the blast site were removed from their homes as a precaution to avoid being poisoned by the gas produced when the product burned.
About 50 train cars, including 10 containing chloride, derailed in a violent accident in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3.
2 of 3 A thick layer of black smoke billows over the city of East Palestine, Ohio on February 6, 2023 — Photo: Gene J. Puskar/AP A thick layer of black smoke billows over the city of East Palestine, Ohio on February 6, 2023 February 6, 2023 — Photo by Gene J. Puskar/AP
Vinyl chloride was later released into the air from five of those cars before firefighters could handle the toxic and highly flammable chemicals in a controlled environment, creating a cloud of dark smoke.
Residents of nearby Ohio and Pennsylvania neighborhoods were evacuated because of the health risks posed by the smoke, but have now been allowed to return.
3 of 3 members of the Civil Support Team help each other get dressed before entering a poison area in Ohio City — Photo: Ohio National Guard via AP : Ohio National Guard via AP
The situation also triggered a reaction in other states. In West Virginia, a water utility is modernizing its water treatment process as a precautionary measure for Ohio’s toxic cloud.
The utility found that the raw water in the Ohio River drainage basin did not change.