On this edition of Your Call's Media Roundtable, we discuss the Norfolk Southern toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which has raised major concerns about the environmental and health impacts of hazardous materials released into the ground, water and air.
According to the EPA, about 20 of the rail cars were carrying highly toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, and ethylhexyl acrylate. Vinyl chloride is associated with increased risks of liver, brain, and lunger cancers, and lymphoma, and leukemia, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Documents show that when current transportation safety rules were first created, a federal agency sided with industry lobbyists and limited regulations governing the transport of hazardous compounds. The decision effectively exempted many trains hauling dangerous materials — including the one in Ohio — from the "high-hazard" classification and its more stringent safety requirements, according to an investigation by The Lever.
Guest:
Matthew Cunningham-Cook, reporter at The Lever
Web Resources:
The New York Times: Over 1,000 Trains Derail Every Year in America. Let’s Bring That Number Down.
The Lever: Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment
The Lever: Biden DOJ Backing Norfolk Southern’s Bid To Block Lawsuits
The American Prospect: How America’s Supply Chains Got Railroaded
