Toxic 'Bomb Train' Risk Threatens Over 3 Million Americans, Report Warns

Environmental advocacy group highlights danger of vinyl chloride transport as EPA reviews safety risks.

Over 3 million Americans are at risk from potential derailments involving toxic chemicals transported by freight trains, according to a report by the environmental health advocacy group Toxic-Free Future.
The report estimates that American railroads are carrying up to 36 million pounds of vinyl chloride across 2,000 miles at any given moment, primarily serving three facilities in Illinois, New Jersey and Ontario.
The route to the New Jersey facility begins in Texas, putting a broad stretch of the Eastern U.S. at risk, including major population centers such as Austin, Texas; Houston; Pittsburgh; Philadelphia; and Little Rock, Ark.
The Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing safety risks associated with vinyl chloride, a process that could end in a formal determination that it poses an 'unreasonable' risk to human and environmental health.
Transportation trade unions are advocating for improved safety within the infrastructure and workforce to ensure that transporting hazardous materials is safer for rail workers and the surrounding community in case of derailment.