Just How Dangerous is Vinyl Chloride?

How Bad is the Situation in Paulsboro?

As a train crossed New Jersey?s Mantua Creek this morning, the bridge buckled, sending at least two cars into the valley below. One busted tanker car has been leaking a hazardous gas called vinyl chloride.

The area around the Paulsboro spill was evacuated and a hazardous materials team is on-site working to contain the mess. At least 40 people have gone to the hospital with breathing problems, but no serious injuries have been reported. A spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that the biggest health and environmental threats are over. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the EPA spokesperson called the remaining hazards "minimal" as long as no further leakage occurs during the removal of the derailed cars.

At this time it is not known how many gallons of vinyl chloride were released into the environment. Typical railway tankers hold between 10,000 and 30,000 gallons. The derailed cars are not expected to be removed until Friday night at the earliest.

What is Vinyl Chloride, and What are its Health Effects?

Vinyl chloride is most often used to make polyvinyl chloride, a plastic that?s used to make shower curtains, cling wrap, pipes, carpeting, packaging material, and all sorts of other items.

Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas with a sweet odor. It is highly flammable and evaporates very easily. The gas can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and headache when inhaled. At very high levels, the EPA reports, vinyl chloride can cause loss of consciousness, lung and kidney irritation, and in extreme cases, death. Long-term exposure to vinyl chloride can increase a person?s risk of developing lung and liver cancer.

It is likely that the most dramatic health impacts of vinyl chloride have been avoided. The EPA says that most of the vapor has dissipated already. The body usually gets rid of the majority of vinyl chloride and its byproducts within one day of inhalation or ingestion. Sometimes vinyl chloride reacts to create damaging substances in the liver, but these substances get cleared out in time as well.

What About the Water?

Although most of the vinyl chloride spilled in New Jersey probably evaporated, some might have dissolved into the water. From there, it is technically possible for vinyl chloride to migrate into groundwater supplies, although that seems unlikely, as the nearest drinking water intake is 20 miles upstream from the spill site, which officials have called a safe distance. Nevertheless, officials are testing the water supply of the town and have set up containment booms in the creek as a precaution.

The effects of eating or drinking vinyl chloride are unknown, according to a public health statement from the CDC?s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

What Should You Do During a Spill?

Residents were advised to stay inside and keep their windows closed. Carbon filtration systems?such as Brita or Pur?can remove vinyl chloride from water.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/how-to/blog/nj-train-accident-spills-vinyl-chloride-14801966?src=rss

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