Ohio train derailment raises concerns over rail safety
FEMA officials arrived on the scene Saturday in East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a train derailment sent chemicals into the air and ground. Their arrival was met with a small sigh of relief from worried residents. They've been pleading for help with growing concerns over their own health and safety. The disaster is renewing concerns that this could happen in anyone's backyard, with trains traveling hundreds of millions of miles across the country each year. So what can be done to prevent this from happening again? George Solis takes a look in our Sunday Focus. With the freedom to carry people and the nation's freight all over the country, trains still serve as a modern-day marvel. But this month in East Palestine, Ohio, residents saw the perils of such progress when a train packed with hazardous materials derailed, setting off a massive toxic spill.
It's still unnerving, still eerie sound to hear that train whistle coming through. Officials suspect a mechanical issue may have led to the derailment. We always look at maintenance. We always look at the history of the car. We look at everything from the track to human performance. The chemicals being carried by the train, also under scrutiny. Among the most concerning chemical on board, vinyl chloride.
When burned, it produces hydrogen chloride, known to cause life-threatening respiratory issues. On February 6, three days after the derailment, Norfolk Southern performed a controlled release of toxic fumes to prevent possible explosions. This is a matter of life and death. Residents in both Ohio and neighboring Pennsylvania ordered to evacuate immediately. Police car came up and said evacuate, evacuate, evacuate, no, get out. On February 8, the evacuation order was lifted. But some residents chose not to return, citing health concerns.
Days later, more uncertainty as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the spill killed some 3,500 fish. Despite EPA assurances, the area was safe. Don't tell me it's safe. Something's going on if the fish are floating in the creek. The crash, highlighting for many the hidden dangers running right past their homes. Is this going to happen again? What's on those trains? Every year, an estimated four and a half million tons of toxic chemicals are transported through the U.S.
with upwards of 12,000 trains carrying hazardous materials through towns and cities each day. Accidents are rare. The last major derailment in the U.S. involving hazardous chemicals happening in 2005. In South Carolina, a ninth person has been found dead after a train wreck released deadly chemical vapors. Some in the industry, like Greg Regan, blame recent safety issues on cutbacks across the workforce.
There's just an emphasis on speed and an emphasis on moving cargo as fast as possible with as few people as possible. Among the issues highlighted, less time to inspect cars. Regan says down from two minutes to 30 to 45 seconds. Experts say the Ohio crash, while not deadly, should serve as a wake-up call. The public's largely forgotten in many ways what railroads do. Sometimes takes an accident like this for the public to wake up and see that there's a lot of attention we need to pay for safety. Can the nation's rails be made safer? Yes, they can always be made safer.
We have to really take this opportunity to try to identify not only what happened here, but make sure to figure out how we can prevent the next one from happening. George joins me now live from East Palestine. George, good morning. So rail safety is really top of mind now for many in light of this derailment and its impacts. What is being done to make sure another disaster isn't around the corner? Good morning, Joe. experts telling me this disaster may have been a blessing in disguise given that there were no deaths or injuries, adding that this is the time to bring lawmakers, regulators, operators and unions together to devise better safety plans. One U.
S. Senate committee led by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell already calling for a review of how trains move hazardous cargoes throughout the country. Currently, hazardous materials account for about 8% of the 30 mail shipments each year with at least one car on practically every non-grain or coal train. As for some solutions, some items that could be looked into, adding regulations to heat sensors monitoring overheated rail bearings and mandating minimum crew levels aboard trains. As for those already in affected areas, well, they're just simply looking for some transparency about the type of cargo that's moving through their towns.
Joe? All right, George. Thank you so much. Hey, thanks for watching. Don't miss the Today Show every weekday at 11 a.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific on our streaming channel today all day. To watch, head to today.
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