WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT TRAINS? Life as we know it would come to a standstill. For one thing, they transport toxic chemicals too dangerous to be carried by trucks. This latest train derailment in Ohio caused a massive spill of vinyl chloride that is threatening the health of the entire town of East Palestine. Why should I care? Because I have lived in a train town for a major part of my life. Danger lurks in train towns.
Not being a chemist, I’ve never paid much attention to vinyl chloride. But apparently it’s a compound needed to make polyvinyl chloride, a hard plastic resin used to produce tons of important products: pipes, wire and cable coating, packaging material. It’s also used for life saving devices such as medical tubing and blood bags. It is in footwear and kids toy. Also, paints, rubber products, and some cosmetics. Polyvinyl chloride has been in use since 1926.
As the saying goes, somebody has to do it. Transport vinyl chloride, that is. It’s typically shipped in liquid form, but can turn into poisonous gas under certain conditions, like in Ohio. Apparently, there are safety features available that trigger automatic braking on trains carrying hazardous materials, before they derail. But somewhere along the way, those safety features were deregulated under the Trump administration. I guess they cost too much money or something. Anyway, the Biden administration under Transportation Secretary Buttigieg didn’t do anything to re instate the regulations, so I guess we can blame just about anybody for what happened in Ohio.
Why should I be concerned when I live across from a beautiful, green, well maintained city park that covers 177 acres? Because there is a railroad track going straight through the park. I can look out my window and–through the bare trees in winter– see railroad cars gliding across the hills. A lot of classy homes have recently been built along the train tracks down the road. And a whole new subdivision of high end condos continues to grow less than a mile away..
There are 40 railroad crossings in this small college town, with a dwindling population of 57,699 people. We have beautiful parks, 5 colleges and universities, a new convention center and a casino in the works. Why don’t people want to stay here? Are the railroads the elephant in the room? Is there a subconscious reaction to the sight of trains running through our city at all hours of the day and night? We may never really know. All we can do is hope we don’t have a train derailment like the one that just occurred in Ohio.
Danger lurks in train towns.