Growing concern over transportation of hazardous materials
Security measures for handling toxic chemicals should apply not only to the nation’s 15,000 chemical plants, but also the rails and trucks transporting them; too bad there are no meaningful security measures
We have written several pieces on the lax-to-nonexistent security at the nation’s 15,000 chemical plants, but little about the risks inherent in transferring toxic chemicals from place to place. One year ago a Norfolk Southern train from Macon killed nine people in South Carolina with a chlorine spill. Railroads say they have made the transportation of hazardous materials safer, but security experts disagree. They say that the public remains at risk from potential spills because of punishing railroad work schedules, high train speeds, and “dark territory” that has no signals. “Our rail system is so vulnerable right now it’s unbelievable,” said David Karnas, an attorney who handles chemical exposure cases. “There’s not enough surveillance, not enough security and little to no supervision.”
The deadly train which drew the nation’s attention to hazardous chemicals rumbling through American towns crashed 6 January 2005 in Graniteville, South Carolina, located northwest of Augusta near Interstate 20. The train started in Macon, where its brakes were inspected, then crews switched in Augusta before the train traveled on with cargo that included chlorine and sodium hydroxide. It never reached its destination. A misaligned switch caused it to collide with an engine on a side track. More than 5,000 residents within a one-mile radius were evacuated, and more than 500 were treated after inhaling chlorine fumes.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the Graniteville accident showed “even the strongest tank cars in service can be punctured in accidents involving trains operating at moderate speeds.” Steve Brittle, who runs a public education Web site called chemicalspill.org, described trains carrying hazardous materials as “rolling weapons of mass destruction,” with chlorine being the most dangerous cargo. “I’d be far more frightened of a 90-ton rail car of chlorine than radioactive waste,” Brittle said.
Railroads carry two-thirds of the chlorine transported in America, according to the Association of American Railroads. State and federal officials say railroad companies are not required to notify local officials about hazardous shipments traveling through. Trucks must have permits to carry certain hazardous materials, railroads do not.
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