WHYY News (PBS and NPR), Philadelphia, PA 4/6/23
A decade after Paulsboro, N.J. train derailment, questions linger over rail safety and public health
Residents in East Palestine, Ohio worry about the health impacts of vinyl chloride exposure. A similar accident occurred about 10 years ago in Paulsboro, N.J.
Trisha Dello Iacono was preparing to host a children’s playdate on Nov. 30, 2012, when she received a phone call from her mother, telling her to tune in to the news.
A train carrying a colorless flammable gas called vinyl chloride derailed less than four miles from her home, in Paulsboro, N.J. After researching the carcinogen, Dello Iacono placed towels around her windows and doors.
But it wasn’t long before she felt a sugary burn in her mouth.
SNIP
More than 10 years later, some residents still worry about long-term health impacts — and question whether enough has been done to prevent more accidents from occurring.
These questions were heightened recently, after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying the same product derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February. The railcars caught fire and burned for more than two days, before emergency crews conducted a controlled burn.
