Chemicals on the Rails
Story by Melinda Stephan
Video by Julie Selby
To get a better understanding of the threat hazardous materials transported by rail pose to the areas they travel through, Julie Selby and Melinda Stephan spoke with officials from rail companies and government agencies.
KENT, OH – On any given day about 30 trains go through Kent, and approximately 10 percent of them carry hazardous materials. Since Ohio is a prime area for rail transport, it seems only natural that residents would be worried about accidents in their state. But should they be worried? Nick Battaglia is not.
He and his wife Phyllis own Battaglia’s Garden Center, Inc. in Ravenna. Even though a Norfolk Southern rail line sits adjacent to their business, the Battaglias aren’t too concerned about an accident affecting their property or business: “I imagine [the rail companies] have safety measures in place,” says Battaglia.
Reginald Brown isn’t worried about rail accidents affecting northeast Ohio either. As a lead worker in the EPA’s Emergency Response Group, Brown oversees a team of professionals whose job is to make sure residents and business owners in northeast Ohio don’t have to lose sleep over the thought of a rail accident involving hazardous materials: [pullquote]“You have to remember that there are people planning for those scenarios.”[/pullquote]
Brown notes that most residents don’t hear about accidents near their city much: he says that’s because he and his team are good at what they do.
And Brown expects his team would be able to act quickly and appropriately if there was an incident. In the event of an accident, Brown’s unit would work with first responders to make sure the necessary personnel and equipment were in place to contain and clean up any hazardous chemicals.
What’s more, Brown says an accident has to be reported and responded to in a timely manner: “Chapter 3750 of the Ohio Revised Code says if you have an emergency and you spill a certain amount of different chemicals or you spill petroleum, you have to call certain numbers within 30 minutes.”
Once the accident is reported to the appropriate authorities, the containment and cleanup begins, Brown says emergency services and his team can usually all be in place in an hour or so.
But what’s the worst-case scenario? A spill involving Bakken crude. Bakken crude is an oil produced in the Bakken region of North America (eastern Montana, western North Dakota and parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba) that is more flammable than standard oil, and as a result more dangerous to transport. But Brown says if an unusually dangerous material like Bakken crude is being transported through an area, notification is necessary:
“When they move more, let’s say for example, a million gallons, [transport services] are required by law to let communities know it’s coming through. So there are some things that are required, but not every chemical that moves through your community you are made aware of,” says Brown.
But how can an average citizen know if hazardous material is being carried through their locale? Brown says trucks and rail cars have placards indicating the kind of material and hazard they’re hauling.
Though residents like the Battaglias are confident in their local rail lines and agencies, Brown says he encourages people to familiarize themselves with placards and transport lines to be on the safe side:
“[Rail companies] test their lines, they do everything they have to, but accidents still happen.”
For further information on rail lines and the transport of hazardous materials, visit these sites:
http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/hazardous.aspx
http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=mph
http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/states/ohio/ohio-railway-map.html
http://www.epa.ohio.gov/portals/27/serc/regs/ORC3750rules.pdf
http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/hazmat/placards/
