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What Toxic Chemicals Were Aboard the Derailed Train in Ohio? [1]

['Raymond Zhong']

Date: 2023-02-15

Health and environmental concerns are mounting after the train derailment and toxic chemical fire this month in eastern Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border. According to information provided to the Environmental Protection Agency by the rail operator, Norfolk Southern, around 20 of the train’s roughly 150 cars were carrying hazardous materials. A meeting for residents about the chemical spill is planned for Wednesday evening.

Here’s a quick guide to the chemicals that people might have been exposed to in the disaster.

Vinyl chloride

Five of the cars that derailed were transporting vinyl chloride, a colorless gas with what toxicologists describe as a “mild, sweet odor.”

Vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride, better known as PVC, which goes into plastic pipes, cable coatings and packaging materials. It has been found in the air near PVC factories and hazardous waste sites, and can leach into groundwater.

Inhaling it can cause dizziness and disorientation, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Prolonged exposure has been linked to higher rates of liver angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

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[1] Url: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/15/climate/ohio-train-fire-toxic-chemicals.html

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