Residents evacuate after chemical leak near Cleves
Residents evacuated after a dangerous chemical leak Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. Officials reported that a rail car is leaking styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical that can damage organs, inflame lungs, and make breathing hard.
Ohioans have been forced from their homes in Southwest Ohio this week as a train car carrying a toxic chemical developed a leak.
It’s another in a series of chemical leaks in Ohio and surrounding states, endangering communities and their residents.
Here’s a look at a few of them.
Residents ordered to evacuate after train car leaks styrene in Cleves, Ohio
The most recent leak, a railcar at a train yard in Cleves, west of Cincinnati, that was carrying styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical, developed a leak on Tuesday, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Residents of about 210 homes within a half-mile of the leak were ordered to evacuate, and several schools were closed on Wednesday.
By Wednesday morning, the railcar had stopped leaking, officials say, but evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were still in effect over air quality concerns.
Train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, releasing hazardous chemical
In February 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio, near the border with Pennsylvania, the Beacon Journal reported. Five cars carried a toxic, flammable gas called vinyl chloride that can cause certain cancers. People were evacuated and a controlled release of gas was conducted to prevent an explosion.
The U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency sued the railroad in March 2023 to ensure that it pays the full cost of cleanup and any long-term effects of the derailment. Norfolk Southern agreed to a $310 million settlement in May 2024.
The National Transportation Safety Board found in June 2024 that burning off chemicals after the derailment was unnecessary, the Beacon Journal reported. Officials intentionally released and burned off toxic vinyl chloride from five derailed cars, sending smoke and chemicals into the air despite the potential health effects.
West Virginia chemical spill affected water for 300,000 people
In January 2014, roughly 10,000 gallons of Methylcyclohexane Methanol, a chemical used in the coal industry, spilled into the Elk River just upstream from the Kanawha County municipal water intake in Charleston, West Virginia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That water system serves about 300,000 people, all of whom were told not to drink, cook, bathe or wash with the water, even after boiling. According to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, 14 people were admitted to the hospital and 231 people were treated and released in connection to the contamination. West Virginia Poison Control received more than 1,000 calls. However, no deaths were connected to the spill.
The spill left thousands without water for weeks, WVPB reports.
Latex spill threatened drinking water in Philadelphia
A ruptured pipe in March 2023 spilled more than 8,000 gallons of a latex chemical solution into the Delaware River, a source of drinking water for millions, upstream of Philadelphia, USA TODAY reported.
City officials recommended residents use bottled water for drinking and cooking, prompting widespread panic buying. The city later said tap water was safe to drink or store for later use.
After testing, no contaminants were found in drinking water.
Train derailment in Kentucky forced evacuation for molten sulfur spill
In November 2023, a CSX train derailed in Eastern Kentucky, spilling molten sulfur and forcing the evacuation of a nearby small town over air quality concerns, NBC News reported.
The derailment involved 16 cars, two of which were carrying molten sulfur that caught fire, Bryan Tucker, a spokesperson for CSX, told NBC. Molten sulfur is known to release sulfur dioxide when it burns, CSX said in a statement. Sulfur dioxide can cause respiratory problems, per the Environmental Protection Agency website.
The molten sulfur burned for 24 hours, covering the nearby town of Livingston, population 200, with toxic levels of sulfur dioxide, NBC News later reported. Two residents sued CSX over the spill, alleging the company exposed them to chemicals that “have been proven to cause long-term medical problems for humans” according to the federal lawsuit.
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Publish date : 2024-09-25 10:52:00
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