![]() ![]() ![]() Officials from the rail company and from the US Environmental Protection Agency have said that the area is now safe, but some independent scientists and outside activists have expressed grave concerns. Residents in the immediate vicinity of the East Palestine derailment were ordered to evacuate in case of an explosion, but most were told to shelter in place. Rail officials, concerned at the prospect of the vinyl chloride exploding, chose to burn off the chemical in a controlled fire. The spilled cargo included vinyl chloride, a flammable chemical known to cause liver cancer. The Norfolk Southern train derailed 38 cars, including 11 known to contain toxic materials, causing explosions, a fire and a massive plume of smoke. Sensors on the track – whose parameters were set by the private rail company, Norfolk Southern – failed to alert conductors in time that a car bearing had become wildly overheated, according to initial findings by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The derailment in East Palestine earlier this year sparked an outcry over what critics call insufficient safety regulation of the transportation of hazardous materials. Officials will allow the spilled materials to freeze in order to aid the cleanup, which is expected to take seven to 10 days. There was no fire and the spill occurred in a cold and snowy area, minimizing the threat to public safety, according to the rail company. Spilled cargo from the derailment included petroleum used to make asphalt.Įmergency response personnel and hazmat experts were at the crash scene, in a rural area of Richland county, on Monday morning. The incident on Sunday involved a Canadian Pacific freight train that derailed around 11.15pm, according to initial reports, affecting 31 of the train’s 70 cars. ![]()
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