inhabitant of Ohio and other eastern states USA are on high alert over possible contamination from the derailment of a freight train carrying a toxic load of vinyl chloride last week. A potentially toxic haze and intense odors were recorded in the area on Tuesday 7th, prompting legal action and concerns by authorities over possible contamination.
Two residents of the state Pennsylvania filed a federal lawsuit against Norfolk Souther, the company responsible for the derailed OhioPennsylvania train. The lawsuit seeks to oblige the company to provide health surveillance for residents of both states.
If the lawsuit is upheld, the railway operator would have to pay for the medical examination and related care of people within a 30mile radius of the site of the derailment to determine who was affected by the toxic materials released after the derailment.
Continued after the ad
At the same time, a water concessionaire is in West Virginia, a neighboring country, is improving the water treatment as a precaution after the derailment. West Virginia American Water said Sunday it will install a second inlet on the Guyandotte River should it need to switch to an alternative water source. However, the concessionaire found that the raw water in the Ohio River drainage basin did not change.
About 50 train cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in Ohio on February 3. No one was injured in the derailment, which investigators say was caused by a broken axle. However, three days after the accident, authorities decided to release and burn vinyl chloride in five tank cars, releasing hydrogen chloride and the toxic phosgene gas into the air.
Environmental authorities have been monitoring the air and water in surrounding communities, saying air quality is safe so far and drinking water supplies are unaffected. But some residents have complained of headaches and discomfort since the derailment.
The Norfolk Southern railway company warned that the operation could release fumes “fatal if inhaled”. A statement released last week by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office said that “the vinyl chloride content of five boxcars is currently unstable and could explode.”
Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas used in a variety of plastic products and packaging materials. When burned, it can produce phosgene, a highly toxic substance used as a chemical weapon in the 1st century. War./ WITH AP AND AFP