Daily News | What if a train derailment like Ohio’s happened in Philly?
, near the Pennsylvania border, involved the risk of a deadly explosion and the release of a toxic chemical, vinyl chloride. It’s
a colorless, sweet-smelling gas that cause dizziness, headaches, and sleepiness in small amounts and can kill with heavy exposure. The derailment happened in a sparsely populated area and up to 2,000 peopleIf dangerous chemicals escaped in a Philadelphia train incident, the number of people needing evacuation could be many times that.
from 2015 estimated more than 700,000 people lived within a half mile of a potential accident involving a train transporting oil.Kilgour noted the logistical obstacles an evacuation effort would face. Emergency workers would have to account for people with disabilities, pets, and those who needed certain medications, and people without easy access to transportation.
“Of course, we’re concerned something like this could happen here,” said Russell Zerbo, an advocate with the Clean Air Council. “It could happen anywhere whenever you’re transporting these chemicals. It’s a constant risk.”The American Association of Railroads emphasized incidents involving hazardous materials are very rare. Train accidents included the release of hazardous materials less than 1% of the time over the last decade, said Jessica Kahanek, a spokesperson for the industry organization.
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