Vinyl chloride in East Palestine train derailment was bound for South Jersey facility
Five tank cars that spewed flames and a toxic chemical at a derailment site in Ohio in February were bound for South Jersey, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The cars were carrying almost 900,000 pounds of vinyl chloride, a human carcinogen, from Texas to Salem County, said the EPA.
They were among 61 cars that went off the tracks in East Palestine on Feb. 3, prompting evacuations and health concerns in that area.
Tank cars derailed in East Palestine were heading to South Jersey
The five cars were traveling to an OxyVinyls facility in Pedricktown, the EPA noted in an administrative order for "removal actions" at the Ohio derailment.
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"The derailment resulted in a large fire affecting numerous rail cars, including rail cars carrying hazardous materials," the order said.
It noted the fire continued for days and that the EPA then ordered vinyl chloride to be vented from the five cars and burned to avoid "a catastrophic explosion."
The tank cars, which were part of a 149-car Norfolk Southern freight train, had started their journey at an OxyVinyls facility in La Porte, Texas. That community, near Houston, is more than 1,500 miles from South Jersey.
An OxyVinyls representative could not be reached for immediate comment.
The Pedricktown plant produces resins and PVC, or polyvinyl chloride products, according to a website for its parent firm Oxy, also known as Occidental Petroleum Corp.
Tank cars were traveling to OxyVinyls facility in Pedricktown
Had the cars reached South Jersey, they would have followed the same route as a train that derailed in Paulsboro in November 2012, releasing clouds of vinyl chloride that rolled across communities in Gloucester and Salem counties.
The cars involved in the 2012 accident also were bound for the Pedricktown plant, according to Material Research L3C, a nonprofit research organization that specializes in environmental issues.
The 2012 derailment occurred when a Conrail crew, which started their shift at the Pavonia rail yard in Camden, disregarded a red light on a movable bridge, causing five cars to fall into Mantua Creek.
Three tank cars that entered the creek held vinyl chloride and one released 20,000 gallons of the chemical, according to a 2014 report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
"On that day, 28 residents sought medical attention for possible exposure, and the train crew and many emergency responders were also exposed," said an NTSB report.
"Damage estimates were $451,000 for equipment and about $30 million for emergency response and remediation," it said.
Conrail freight line in South Jersey
The NTSB noted the Paulsboro accident occurred on Conrail's Penns Grove Secondary Subdivision, "a single main track which extends southwest from Woodbury to Deepwater."
The EPA order, first reported on by the New York Times, said breathing high levels of vinyl chloride can cause dizziness or sleepiness, while breathing very high levels can cause fainting.
It said "breathing even higher levels can cause death."
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Vinyl chloride in East Palestine train was bound for South Jersey
