I'm quite late in bringing this to the party, but I haven't seen anyone covering this in the UK media or on here. It looks like a huge disaster.
A goods train with approximately 50 wagons, some filled with Polyvinyl Chloride derailed and caught fire. A huge plum of the toxins has evaporated being absorbed into the atmosphere. The local area was evacuated, but the potential harm to the public and the environment is big.
A cocktail of deadly chemicals — including highly toxic vinyl chloride and hydrogen chloride — spilled out after 50 cars on a Norfolk Southern Railroad train derailed en route to Pennsylvania.
Inhaling vinyl chloride fumes can induce dizziness, nausea, headache, and breathing complications, University of Toledo environmental engineering professor Ashok Kumar told ABC News.
Professor Kevin Crist, the director of Ohio University’s Air Quality Center, noted that the chemical can also cause cancer of the liver and other organs.
“Breathe those in under heavy concentrations, and it’s really bad for you,” Crist told the network. “It’s like an acid mist. It’s not something that you want to be around in high concentrations.”
Officials conducted a controlled burn in the area to avoid a “catastrophic tanker failure” that could have set off a gigantic explosion.
A goods train with approximately 50 wagons, some filled with Polyvinyl Chloride derailed and caught fire. A huge plum of the toxins has evaporated being absorbed into the atmosphere. The local area was evacuated, but the potential harm to the public and the environment is big.
A cocktail of deadly chemicals — including highly toxic vinyl chloride and hydrogen chloride — spilled out after 50 cars on a Norfolk Southern Railroad train derailed en route to Pennsylvania.
Inhaling vinyl chloride fumes can induce dizziness, nausea, headache, and breathing complications, University of Toledo environmental engineering professor Ashok Kumar told ABC News.
Professor Kevin Crist, the director of Ohio University’s Air Quality Center, noted that the chemical can also cause cancer of the liver and other organs.
“Breathe those in under heavy concentrations, and it’s really bad for you,” Crist told the network. “It’s like an acid mist. It’s not something that you want to be around in high concentrations.”
Officials conducted a controlled burn in the area to avoid a “catastrophic tanker failure” that could have set off a gigantic explosion.


