Short Takes – 2-17-23 – Ohio Train Wreck Version

EPA chief visits Ohio and vows support after train derailment. TheHill.com article. Reminder, NTSB is investigative agency for the accident. Pull quote: “The EPA head said the federal agency’s air monitoring efforts have not detected anything to prompt health concerns in the area thus far. Of more than 480 voluntary home screenings, he said, the EPA has not detected vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride in any of them.”

NTSB: Video shows Ohio train wheel bearing in ‘final stage of overheat failure’ before derailment. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The NTSB has identified the initial rail car to blame for the incident, and said in a statement on Tuesday that a video from a residence showed the car’s wheel bearing was “in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment.” Investigators said that they collected the wheel set from the railcar as well as the wheel bearing to be examined by engineers from NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C.”

High-profile chemical spills on rails, roads prompt transport concerns. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “While images of flames and overturned rail cars near the Pennsylvania border highlighted the consequences of crashes, transportation officials and experts say there’s no indication of a rise in such events. Despite the high-profile spills, federal data shows chemical leaks while in transit are happening less often. The number of hazmat incidents resulting from crashes or derailments across all modes of transportation fell to 80 last year, down from more than 360 a decade ago.”

‘Chernobyl 2.0’? Ohio Train Derailment Spurs Wild Speculation. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “On social media like Twitter and Telegram, commentators have called the situation the “largest environmental disaster in history” or simply “Chernobyl 2.0,” invoking the 1986 nuclear disaster. They warned, without evidence, that vital water reservoirs serving states downriver could be badly contaminated. And they suggested that the authorities, railroad companies and mainstream news media were purposefully obscuring the full toll of the crisis.”

EPA says Ohio derailment site is safe, as locals report rashes, worries. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “Johnson and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said they are examining federal regulations for trains carrying hazardous chemicals. Brown said he would push for better labeling of trains carrying hazardous materials, which he said may require a change in federal law.”