Officials: Controlled release of toxic chemicals from derailed train in Ohio completed

Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A controlled chemical release from several rail cars that were part of a train that derailed in Ohio late last week has been completed over fears of explosion, officials said.

The train derailed Friday in East Palestine near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Officials said 20 of its rail cars contained hazardous material, and that 10 of them had derailed, of which five contained vinyl chloride, a chemical used in the creation of PVC.

Evacuations for a 1-mile radius of the derailed train had been ordered, with authorities Sunday night threatening charges against those who do not heed their call. Gov. Mike DeWine warned the cars containing vinyl chloride were threatening to explode.

Norfolk Southern Railroad confirmed to UPI in a Monday night statement that the controlled breach of the rail cars had been completed.

"Some of the material is now burning off consistent with expectations from the earlier models, and is expected to drain for a short number of hours," it said. "Remediation work at the site can now safely continue."

Air quality was being monitored by the railway company and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, it said.

DeWine had announced in a statement earlier Monday that he and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro had ordered an immediate evacuation of a 1-mile by 2-mile area surrounding East Palestine, which resides on their shared border, ahead of the planned chemical release.

The Republican governor explained that the vinyl chloride had become unstable, threatening to explode, which could be lethal due to the disbursement of shrapnel and toxic fumes.

The controlled release, which began at about 3:30 p.m., was to alleviate that risk but in the process would put toxic fumes into the area, necessitating the expanded evacuation zone.

A map was released to show the red zone which surrounds the location of the derailed cars, with the yellow zone spreading much farther out and downwind into Pennsylvania.

"Based on current weather patterns and the expected flow of the smoke and fumes, anyone who remains in the red affected area is facing grave danger of death," DeWine said. "anyone who remains in the yellow impacted area is at a high risk of severe injury, including skin burns and serious lung damage."

It was unknown when residents will be able to return to their homes, he said, but an announcement will be made when it is safe to do so.

According to the National Cancer Institute, vinyl chloride is associated with an increase risk of liver, brain and lung cancers as well as lymphoma and leukemia, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that exposure to the chemical can cause weakness and exhaustion, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal blooding and an enlarged liver, among other symptoms.

Norfolk Southern Railroad told UPI that the threat was discovered Sunday during the monitoring of the derailed cars as it was noticed that the pressure relief devices on some of them had stopped working.

On Sunday, National Transportation Safety Board officials said they had obtained two videos showing potential mechanical issues with the axel of one of the rail cars and were working to identify the one in question as they investigate the cause of the derailment.