Improving Safety, Accident Response, And Public Health In The Wake Of Recent Train Derailments

On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying various toxic chemicals along with other cargo derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling toxic materials into local surface water and causing a fire. To avoid the possibility of some vinyl chloride tanks exploding, the authorities decided to start "venting and controlled burning", which emitted plumes of black smoke. Soon, locals began complaining of "headaches, coughs, rashes and other classic symptoms of chemical exposure."

The city of Naas, located in eastern Palestine, faces uncertainty about potential long-term health risks in a short period of time. For example, according to the National Institutes of Health, vinyl chloride toxicity is linked to several types of cancer, including brain, lung, and liver cancer, as well as nerve damage, immune reactions, and other risks. In addition to vinyl chloride, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the spill also released ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene and butyl acrylate into "air, topsoil and surface water, among other irritants potentially harmful".

Each of these substances individually can have some negative health effects. Combined, as chemicals deteriorate over time, the risks multiply and become less apparent. A New York Times article describes the dangers, saying that "chemical compounds can interact with each other in complex ways and persist after combustion."

602

Deaths in Class A freight rail accidents last year

Because truck accidents rarely make national headlines, it's tempting to assume they're rare. Unfortunately, freight train derailments are common. In fact, on March 5, Norfolk Southern experienced a second derailment in Ohio, with 28 cars derailed. In 2022, there were 923 first-class freight train derailments (ie, all railroads with annual revenue greater than $943.9 million)—or 2.5 per day—and 1,533 crossing collisions. 602 people died in class 1 accidents last year. Norfolk Southern alone recorded 156 and 119 diversions in 2021 and 2022, respectively. * This is an unacceptable level of performance for the industry.

Congress and the US Department of Transportation must act quickly with laws and regulations to prevent future accidents, increase industry accountability, and improve incident response, including providing immediate medical evaluations and care, as well as long-term monitoring of health and local services. Residents who choose to participate

However, it would be a mistake to focus a national policy response solely on the transportation sector without considering the broader use of harmful toxic chemicals in the American economy. A truly comprehensive response to this incident must include incentives for US industry to reformulate its products and processes to get rid of petrochemicals and other toxic materials as quickly as possible. As long as there is an industrial demand for toxic chemicals like vinyl chloride, there will be transportation needs and the risk of future accidents that will harm public health and the environment.

Congress and the US Department of Transportation must address the immediate problem of road safety and public health, as well as the long-term problem of petrochemicals and other toxic substances in the economy.

Railway safety and industry responsibility and information sharing

On March 1, in response to the Ohio train derailment, Sens. Sherrod Brown (Ohio), JD Vance (D-PA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Marco Rubio (D-PA), John Fetterman (D-PA ) )) and Josh Hawley (D-PA) introduced the nonpartisan Act of 2023. The legislation includes several key policy reforms that, if enacted, would reduce the frequency and severity of future freight accidents and improve emergency response. Draft law:

• Define requirements for the installation, repair, testing, maintenance and operation of roadside fault detectors (such as roadside fault detectors) to prevent bearing failure due to overheating. Fault detectors should be installed at least every 10 miles.
• Requires railroad companies to provide state and tribal authorities with advance notice and information regarding the transportation of hazardous materials and a written emission plan for the hazardous materials being transported.
• Increase in maximum civil penalties for railway undertakings for violations of railway safety rules.
• Establish minimum requirements for the time a qualified mechanical inspector must spend inspecting a wagon or locomotive.
• enabling the Minister of Transport to regulate the length and weight of trains; train content, train speed in accordance with standards; maintenance of roads, bridges and carriageways; and signaling and train control, among other rail transportation functions.
• Set a minimum train crew size.
• Accelerate the decommissioning date of old tanks holding Class 3 flammable liquids.
• Increase training grants for first responders.

health care

The East Palestine derailment highlights a critical gap in responding to incidents involving the release of toxic chemicals: the identification and treatment of acute and long-term health risks that remain after immediate containment and treatment. It may be years before the health effects are fully understood. Initial testing may not be sufficient to fully determine the risk to the local population and first responders.

For example, just seven days after the terrorist attacks that killed 11 people in New York and Washington, DC, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman said her air was safe to breathe and her water safe to drink. to drink. This claim turned out to be wildly wrong. It took years of relentless advocacy by first responders, their families and others to secure adequate funding for health care for the women and men who worked tirelessly to clean up Ground Zero or were directly affected by the impact. To avoid repeating this mistake after railroad or other industrial accidents that release hazardous chemicals into the environment, the federal government should:

• Adoption of regulations requiring the distressed railroad company to bear the cost of strict and prompt health monitoring and inspections by public health authorities for a period to be determined by the authorities. Intensity and duration of exposure, as well as location at the time of emergency, are important data for understanding risk over time.
• Develop an independent public health and registry program with extensive population data, similar to other programs such as the WTC Health Program, that provides free health monitoring, research and ongoing treatment for long-term physical and mental health problems related to with victims of chemical exposure. .
• Make participation in any monitoring program completely voluntary and allow participants to opt out at any time without losing their right to civil action.
• Ensure that waste management processes protect public health.
• requiring struggling rail companies to conduct independent air, water and soil monitoring; Highly engaged community members to get their input into response plans; Organizing public meetings to communicate and translate the results.

Removal of toxic substances

The threats to life, health and critical habitats from derailed trains carrying petrochemicals and other toxic materials are enormous. According to one estimate, "more than 25 million people live within one mile of a crude oil railroad." In addition, trains carrying crude oil "typically pass within a quarter mile of critical protected habitats for 57 endangered species."

Toxic chemicals are a hazard and an unfair burden even when you're not on the road. Research shows that polluting businesses are more likely to be found in low-income demographics and communities of color that also experience high levels of social stress, which can make them more susceptible to the harmful health effects of chemical exposure.

These statistics refer only to the daily risks and damages caused by the production, transport and use of toxic chemicals. The most effective way to reduce the social and environmental damage caused by toxic substances is to reduce or eliminate them from as many products and business operations as possible, as soon as possible.

In some cases, there are commercially available technologies that can replace harmful chemicals, including petrochemicals. For example, heat pumps can replace heating systems with heating oil. Battery electric vehicles are increasingly appearing and replacing traditional internal combustion engines as well as heavy commercial vehicles. Among other important provisions, the Inflation Reduction Act provides strong incentives to accelerate the uptake of heat pumps and new and used electric vehicles. But there are many other industrial products and processes that require non-toxic solutions.

The US Department of Energy should:

• Continue to encourage and increase funding for research into biological alternatives to fossil fuel-based petrochemicals, such as b. Joint Bioenergy Institute operated by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The Ministry should issue a report on the potential of this raw material as a non-toxic alternative at all stages of production, transportation, product development and raw material extraction.

Congress should:

• Providing tax incentives to companies that replace toxic chemicals with non-toxic alternatives.
• It requires companies to use safer processes and chemicals to reduce the amount of dangerous goods sent into communities every day.
• Ensure that the liability of private companies for the release of toxic or hazardous substances is not limited Direct the Road Transport Board to review how liability is divided between railway companies and trucking companies for toxic chemicals. and shippers of toxic chemicals have the financial capacity to pay compensation for damages resulting from possible future releases of toxic substances.

Diploma

Together, these policy reforms will reduce the number and severity of deviations by establishing uniform standards for the control and tracking of critical train information, including rolling stock temperature readings. Extensive chemical testing, long-term health monitoring and access to services will ensure that affected communities receive adequate care for any adverse health effects from toxic spills. Finally, an industry-wide push to phase out and reformulate products and processes that rely on the use of toxic chemicals will reduce health and environmental risks and lead to truly sustainable economic production.

* These results are based on the author's calculations from data sets from the Federal Railroad Office of Safety Analysis.

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