Let's Explore The Ohio Train Derailment
- mp50081
- Mar 5, 2023
- 4 min read
The derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train in East Palestine, Ohio has been a catastrophe. Many people including yourself have probably wondered how it happened? Also, you're probably wondering what the outcome will be? Let's explore the Ohio Train Derailment!
How This Train Derailment Happened?
A freight train from Madison, Illinois was on its way to Conway, Pennsylvania. It was a 2-mile long Norfolk Southern train with 150 rail cars.
The train's payload consisted of wheat, frozen vegetables, cement as well as chemicals.
Chemicals Included:
Vinyl Chloride
Butyl Acrylate
Ethythexyl Acrylate
Ethylene Glycol Mono Butyl Ether
On February 3rd at 9 pm, a mechanical issue with a rail axle on one of the rail cars caused the train to derail near East Palestine.
At least 38 rail cars derailed and caused a fire that damaged an additional 12. There were at least 11 railcars that carried hazardous material, including the cancer causing vinyl chloride.
The derailment resulted in a crash that caused a fire that spanned the length of the derailed rail cars. Because of the risk of exposure to vinyl chloride, firefighters could not put out the fire right away.
On February 4th, a state of emergency was declared by East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway.
Controlled Release Of Vinyl Chloride
Vinyl chloride is highly flammable and potentially explosive.
According to Ohio Mike DeWine (R), the officials watching the situation were concerned about the derailed rail cars exploding due to the fire causing a higher temperature.
If an explosion happened, it would've been "catastrophic" according to officials.
On February 5th, authorities ordered 1,500 residents who lived nearby were ordered to evacuate. In order to prevent an explosion, a controlled release and burn of vinyl chloride was started on February 6th.
The controlled release and burn created a toxic mushroom cloud. It reached a level in the atmosphere where it was unable to continue to rise up. As a result, it led to toxic fallout that fell not just on East Palestine, but also the surrounding region.
Many people felt that authorities "nuked" East Palestine with dangerous chemicals.
Evacuation Order Lifted
On February 8th, the evacuation order for East Palestine was lifted. They were told by authorities that it was safe to return to their homes.
Many East Palestine residents were questioning how "safe" it actually was.
The fallout of the chemical plume resulted in dead or dying livestock including chickens. Many people found their pets either sick, dying or dead. Also, in nearby rivers, dead fish were found.
Residents experienced acute effects of the chemical fallout including burning throats, skin burns when bathing as well as chemical pneumonia.
After seeing dead animals and experiencing short-term effects, residents felt like they were being gaslit by authorities.
They felt like Norfolk Southern was giving them the run around about how seriousness of the situation.
Also they felt like authorities from the State of Ohio were gaslighting them along with Federal authorities, including the ones from the EPA.
What Will Be The Long-Term Outcome?
Let’s explore some of the outcomes of the Ohio Train Derailment!
Norfolk Southern’s Bottom Line
Since the Ohio train derailment happened on February 3rd, Norfolk Southern’s bottom line has taken a hit.
According to JP Morgan, Norfolk Southern’s stock price has dropped by 10%. That’s at least $5 billion dollars of market value. Also, it’s hard to predict what their stock price will be in the future.
Costs related to the East Palestine train derailment could cost as much as $50 million. Also, as of February 22nd, the EPA said they could fine Norfolk Southern as much as $70,000 a day if it doesn’t follow through on cleaning up the derailment site.
There are already at least 9 lawsuits against Norfolk Southern. The suits seek class-action status with more than $5 million in damages.
There have been claims of not only negligence but also carelessness that led to the East Palestine train derailment. One lawsuit alleges that a train car was “sparking” and “burning” 20 minutes before it reached East Palestine.
Uncertainty Among East Palestine Residents
The residents of East Palestine have been facing a lot of uncertainty about the future.
Since the February 3rd Norfolk Southern train derailment, many questions have come up about their future financial outcomes as well as health outcomes.
Vinyl chloride releases other chemicals when it burns. It releases phosgene gas, which is a chemical used as a weapon during the First World War.
Also, it releases hydrogen chloride. When it's a gas, it becomes exposed to the air and forms dense white vapors due to condensation with atmospheric moisture. The vapor becomes corrosive and causes irritation.
Burning vinyl chloride can lead to the formation of dioxins.
Dioxins are a group of persistent environmental pollutants that can remain in the ground and body for years.
In the short-term, residents are concerned about acute affects including irritated eyes, skin throats as well as migraines. Also, there have been reports of skin rashes after showering as well as breathing problems.
Long-term effects of this environmental catastrophe may include lung and liver damage. Also, there's a high risk of cancer due to long-term exposure.
The financial and health outcomes are intertwined. The long-term costs of cleaning up the area as well as medical costs to address long-term health problems will financially impact East Palestine residents for years to come.
Conclusion
The February 3rd East Palestine train derailment has been a major catastrophe.
It's a catastrophe that never should've happened. Hopefully, this is a wake up call for better safety regulations or even to restore regulations that have since been done away will.
Let us know what you think?
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