Train Derailments and Chemical Rain | Ep. 150

In this episode of The Bald Brad Show, Photos of a half-mile of the burning train cars followed by images of a towering pillar of dark smoke over East Palestine, Ohio circulated online. The train operator and government officials worked to respond after 50 of a 150-car train came off the tracks on Feb. 3. At least 10 of the derailed cars were transporting vinyl chloride while other were packed with ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, and isobutylene. Concerned that the derailed cars transporting hazardous material may explode and send shrapnel flying, Norfolk Southern ultimately held a controlled burn on Feb. 6 – days after area residents were ordered to evacuate. “U.S. EPA continues to conduct air monitoring throughout the East Palestine community,” the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement on Feb. 12, per Fox News. “Air monitoring since the fire went out has not detected any levels of concern in the community that can be attributed to the incident at this time.” The EPA warned that residents may still “smell odors” and to contact their doctors if they experience any changes in health. The agency has not released a full list of the chemicals that may have been emitted into the environment as a result of the derailment. Evacuation orders enacted by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro were lifted on Feb. 9. Sil Caggiano, hazardous materials specialist and former fire chief in Youngstown, told reporters, “We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.”