2012 New Jersey Chemical Disaster Could Predict East Palestine, Ohio’s Future

East Palestine is currently in the initial phases of assessing the long-term repercussions of the train derailment and controlled release of vinyl chloride that took place in the town.

While the city grapples with the uncertainty of the future, there is another city that can provide insights into what lies ahead.

Paulsboro, New Jersey faced a similar situation in November 2012, when a Conrail train derailed, leading to the release of 20,000 gallons of vinyl chloride. Although the East Palestine incident involved a burn-off rather than a spill, both episodes resulted in the discharge of vinyl chloride into the ground, water, and air. A visible vapor cloud was seen during the Paulsboro spill, and the effects on the community continue to be felt to this day.

Tracy Carluccio, the deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, resides in New Jersey and is well-versed in the experiences of Paulsboro residents.

The organization oversees the Delaware River Watershed, which encompasses regions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York. Carluccio empathizes with those in East Palestine and fears for their well-being.

“People were concerned about water quality, but in the end, it turned out that the vapor cloud and the air impacts were the greatest. What we saw in Paulsboro is that it really took months and years for the full effects of vinyl chloride to be realized.” Carluccio continued, “there were lawsuits brought. There were people who found they had lung damage that was permanent. And then in addition to that, about one in every 10 people experienced an acute reaction to the exposure and went to the emergency room. And some of them did not feel the ill effects in the future, but some of them did.”

“They are still talking about it. One of the things that people experienced who lived there is they lost property value. It’s a lovely town on the Delaware River, and many families have lived there for generations. It’s a really nice community there in Paulsboro, but they carry this yoke of looking as though they are a polluted mess, and the vinyl chloride contributed to that.” Carluccio explained, “there are a lot of other problems, but the vinyl chloride – there have been very few of these well-publicized catastrophes like this, and it’s the only big derailment like that in New Jersey of vinyl chloride. It’s just a black eye for them, the community that is very difficult to overcome.”

Concerns have been raised in East Palestine over the methods Norfolk is employing to dispose of soil in the region. Norfolk has stated that it is transporting the soil to a different location and segregating the contaminated soil from the non-hazardous soil, with both being disposed of appropriately.

Mary Metz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said, “We have estimated based on our sampling and modeling about 3,500 dead fish across that space.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has verified that the soil was surrendered at the derailment site to restore the railway line, and local authorities have confirmed a fish die-off in Leslie Run and Bull Creek.

According to the latest report from the NTSB, the investigators have pinpointed the specific rail car that triggered the derailment. Video footage indicated an overheated wheel bearing in the moments leading up to the derailment. Apart from the event recorder of the locomotive, the fittings from the tanker transporting vinyl chloride are also under examination.