Vinyl Chloride Train Crash Leak Sickens 18 In NJ

A spill of vinyl chloride, a toxic chemical, after a train derailment has resulted in the hospitalization of 18 people in New Jersey.

The vinyl chloride leak following a Paulsboro, Gloucester County freight train derailment early this morning has become a public health concern as officials carefully monitor the effects on the area. It began when a railroad bridge over Mantua Creek in Paulsboro appears to have buckled under the locomotive, upending several of the train’s cars and dropping some of them into the waters below.

After the 7:15 am accident, the vinyl chloride began leaking and permeating the area, sickening at least 18 people at a local marine terminal. The affected people reportedly suffered breathing problems due to the toxic chemical leak, and an area with a radius of a half-mile around the volatile train derailment has been cleared to prevent others from falling ill due to the vinyl chloride present in the area surrounding it.

According to MyFoxPhilly, the wider implications of the vinyl chloride leak after the train derailment are not yet known, and local schools are on lockdown with no illnesses or respiratory incidents reported:

“Short-term exposure to the hazardous, flammable gas, which has a sickly, sweet smell, can cause dizziness, drowsiness and headaches, according to the EPA. Long-term exposure has been linked to cancer … Respiratory problems were being reported in nearby communities, but plans for wider evacuations were unclear.”

As the vinyl chloride risk is assessed, the news outlet reports that emergency teams have gathered at the Gloucester County Fire Academy in nearby Clarksboro. No fatalities are believed to have resulted from the vinyl chloride leak or train derailment.