THE THREAT OF TRAIN DERAILMENTS

BY MEGAN YANG

Exploring the environmental and human impact of two recent train derailments

In the United States, there are approximately 1,000 train derailments a year.

In the past few months, two such incidents have occurred—one in Minnesota and another in Ohio. These incidents highlight the potential danger of transporting hazardous materials by rail and the importance of taking necessary precautions to minimize environmental damage.

Joyce Li, a freshman at MVHS, states that these derailments contain chemicals that are detrimental to the environment. She also says that some of these chemicals don’t immediately break down and remain in the environment for some time.

“I would imagine that these derailments would negatively impact the environment very much.” Li said. “These chemicals would kill the surrounding wildlife and damage from chemicals is very hard to recover from. The long-term effects are there, I mean, chemicals don’t disappear overnight or even over years, the areas will remain hazard- ous and high winds might even stir up the chemicals and release them into the atmosphere, where it has the potential to spread.”

The more recent derailment of the two, which took place in Raymond, Minnesota occurred on March 30. The incident led to a massive fire that caused the evacuation of around 800 residents living in the city. Twenty-two cars were ethanol, and four ended up catching on fire. The EPA immediately responded to the incident and arranged an emergency response team to assist local authorities in managing the situation.

This derailment involved ethanol, which is highly flammable, and this led to a massive fire. Freshman Tashvi Bansal stated that this would lead to air pollution in the surrounding area.

“The derailment of trains can cause dangerous fires to spark up,” Bansal said. “This endangers the lives of those citizens who live near the derailments since the air quality can become hazardous. Combustion of any sort releases carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, as well as carbon monoxide, which can be lethal depending on the dosage.”

Despite the flammability of ethanol, the chemical itself can get broken down relatively easily by natural processes. Science teacher Kyle Jones says that ethanol itself doesn’t pose a significant impact on the environment.

“Ethanol is just alcohol,” Jones said. “People consume ethanol whenever they drink alcoholic beverages. It can be a problem if you have a lot of alcohol in the soil as it may kill the soil microbes, but ethanol is water soluble and will dilute very quickly. Any alcohol is not a very big concern because it can get broken down by the natural environment.”

The substances that were in the Ohio train derailment, however, had a more severe effect on the surrounding environment. This incident happened on Feb. 3, in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment, in which 38 out of 150 cars derailed, occurred near a residential area, and the resulting fire forced the evacuation of around 1,500 to 2,000 residents. The train was carrying chemicals that included vinyl chloride, which, unlike ethanol, is a persistent organic pollutant (POPs). Jones states that POPs can be detrimental to the environment and organisms.

“We should be concerned about persistent organic pollutants when it comes to soil and water,” Jones said. “Their structure is such that they tend to persist and last a long time, and the environment can’t do a very good job of clearing it out naturally. POPs tend to build up and can lead to biomagnification, which is the process where these pollutants get more and more concentrated in organisms as they go up the food chain, so it can have effects on top level consumers in an ecosystem.”

Along with being a persistent organic pollutant, Jones says that vinyl chloride is a carcinogenic compound. This poses a risk to both humans and organisms in the surrounding area of the derailment.

“If vinyl chloride is exposed to humans or animals,” Jones said. “It can increase the risk of cancer as it is a carcinogenic compound. What this means is that it is likely to cause mutations inside of a cell, which would affect the DNA of an organism. This could potentially turn a cell that has enough mutations of the right type into a cancerous cell that will divide uncontrollably, resulting in the development of a tumor, and affecting the health of an organism.”

The incident did indeed have such effects. The spillage from the Ohio derailment led to water contamination, which affected both the environment and local residents. Additionally, residents of the surrounding affected city experienced symptoms such as headaches, which were believed to be a result of the chemicals released from the derailment.

Despite the differences between the Minnesota and Ohio train derailments, they both highlight the importance of taking necessary precautions when transporting hazardous materials by rail. Train derailments can cause catastrophic environmental damage, and it is crucial to take every possible measure to prevent them from happening. Additionally, these incidents highlight the need for better emergency response plans in case of such disasters. The EPA and other government agencies play a crucial role in managing and containing the environ- mental impact of such incidents. Bansal says that enforcing routine maintenance can help minimize such incidents from occurring.

“To prevent these incidents from happening in the future,” Bansal said. “We should maintain proper inspection of both the trains and the tracks and have better restrictions on factors such as the train’s speed or signaling systems. Additionally, we should try and update our technology and infrastructure for trains.”

Li shares a similar sentiment, stating that prioritizing safety through implementing such measures is ultimately one of the most effective ways that derailments can either be avoided, or that the consequences won’t be as extreme.

“I think the best way to prevent these accidents from ever happening again,” Li said. “Is number one, and most importantly, a good driver that knows what they’re doing and are quick on their feet. Also, very strict safety and preventative measures should be implemented. Only through such actions can it be ensured that derailments won’t be as detrimental.”