SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The train that derailed and caused an environmental disaster in East Palestine, Ohio was en route toward a facility in Salem County, New Jersey, federal officials said — the same route as the 2012 train derailment in Paulsboro.
In November 2012, several Conrail train cars derailed on a bridge over Mantua Creek. One of them contained more than 20,000 gallons of vinyl chloride, a human carcinogen. Chronic exposure to the hazardous chemical can damage or cause cancer in the liver, brain, skin or lungs.
In February, the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine — located at the Ohio-Pennsylvania border — was also carrying vinyl chloride, among other hazardous chemicals.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, who represented Paulsboro residents in the wake of the chemical spill, said the East Palestine derailment is yet another example of the need for stronger federal regulations for the transportation of hazardous materials.
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“We have really good, in the state of New Jersey, rules that protect our people and communities from the potential discharges of contaminates when they come from stationary sources — the strongest in the country. But these things don’t apply to mobile sources,” he said.
While the Norfolk Southern train wasn’t necessarily destined to crash, LaTourette said the potential for future derailments in New Jersey still exists.
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In the years since the Paulsboro spill, New Jersey has updated disaster plans — which were activated a number of times, including the recent wildfires — and enhanced protections for communities. LaTourette said it’s time for the federal government to do the same.
“We are immediately acting in response, and I think that that can build community confidence,” he said. “Can I tell you that it will never happen here? No. I can’t say that, because it might. But what I can say is that we’ll have the backs of our communities, because that’s our whole job.”
Norfolk Southern is not the only major U.S. train derailment in recent weeks. Days ago, a freight train derailed near Rockwood, Maine. Last month, a train hauling ethanol in Minnesota derailed and caught fire.
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