Washington Mass collision of a freight train carrying highly toxic cargo has US officials and residents concerned. On February 3, a freight train carrying 50 cars, 10 of which were carrying hazardous chemicals, derailed in the town of Palestine, on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
The accident triggered a gigantic fire, the smoke from which stretched for kilometers across the area. In addition, local authorities decided to detonate part of the cargo to prevent an uncontrolled explosion and neutralize the chemicals. Around 2,000 residents were temporarily evacuated, and schools and shops were closed.
Local media initially reported on the incident, and US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg only spoke publicly ten days later. But the accident is now having a wider impact: national US media are writing about the inferno, the political consequences are reaching the US Congress – and international diplomacy.
China blasphemes about the “American Chernobyl”
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced on Tuesday that about 3,500 fish had been found dead, along with hundreds of lifeless birds. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has called on the US Congress to tighten rail safety regulations. Silverio Caggiano, a former fire chief from Ohio, described the situation as a “nuclear winter” on Fox News and criticized: “We bombed this town with chemicals”.
The incident also plays a role in relations between China and the United States. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying tweeted on Tuesday: “Apparently a civilian balloon is seen as a major threat in the US. But an explosive train derailment and the release of toxic chemicals is not.” The spokeswoman compared the incident in Palestine to an “American Chernobyl”. US President Joe Biden had a suspected Chinese espionage balloon shot down in early February.
The extent of the train accident is only gradually becoming clear, and many questions remain unanswered. The trains were under the care of the operating company Norfolk Southern. Chemicals carried included vinyl chloride, a toxic, carcinogenic, and flammable gas used to make hard plastic.
Hydrogen chloride, which can cause life-threatening respiratory problems, was also released in large quantities. At least three other substances – butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate and ethylene glycol monobutyl – were released into the air, soil and adjacent water bodies.
According to the EPA, the federal environmental agency, a few days after the accident, no more pollutants could be detected at “worrying levels”. According to the New York Times, however, local residents complain of headaches and nausea. Republican Senator JD Vance, who represents the state of Ohio, spoke on Twitter of a “complex environmental catastrophe” and criticized the rail reforms of recent years. In 2017, for example, the regulations for braking system upgrades for trains carrying dangerous goods were relaxed.
For a number of years, railway unions have warned that the risk of accidents is rising due to downsizing and high levels of sickness. “In fact, derailments per train-mile and incidents at rail yards have increased significantly,” said Greg Regan, president of the haulage division of the largest industry union, the AFL-CIO.
Left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders also criticized “chronic underinvestment in infrastructure and personnel”. In 2021, the US Congress passed an infrastructure package worth billions, but the modernization of trains and rails is likely to take years. According to the AP news agency, a mechanical problem with a railroad car axle was apparently responsible for the incident in Palestine.
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