Train Derailed Downstate Illinois

FOX NEWS ^ | 2/9/03 | FOX NEWS

[JustPiper]

I could use some help here...Fox news had a blurb in its ticker and then showed a train derailed on its side leaking some type of vinyl (?) chloride in a downstate town in Illinois of 700 who have been evacuated.

Now a story of this magnitude and I cannot find a blessed thing on all local channels, news radio, net etc, si I'm putting it to Freepers.

I also called CLTV which is our local cable news and she checked the wires and intended to call Foxc about it. Anyone picking up on anything, I'd appreciate it, my daughter and grandkids live downstate.

[nocommies]

i dunno, but it seems to me weve had lots of derailed trains around lately. sounds suspicious to me

[JustPiper]

Me too, especially when you evacuate seven-hundred people.

[eastforker]

The town of Pamaroa,not far from carbondale.

[countess]

I heard it on Fox News almost a half-hour ago. They said they would have local coverage soon.

[SelmaLee]

This happened in Tamaroa, a small town in Perry County. The chemical is vinyl chloride and the evacuation is for 1/2 mile surrounding the derailment.

[Mo1]

A little earlier Fox News showed some video clip of this and it didn't look good

[BlessedBeGod]

Checked the Trib, the Sun-Times, the Bloomington Pantagraph, the Springfield paper, and the AP wire. Nothing.

[willieroe]

You might want to add http://news.google.com to your news search choices. A search for "train Illinois" brings up this result:

Train Derailment in Illinois
By: Heartland News Staff Reports
Updated: 12:15 p.m. 2/9

A train has derailed in Tamaroa, Illinois along U.S. 51. The Illinois State Police is evacuating the area within a mile and a half of the derailment site. According to the Perry County Sheriff Department, the derailment is located near the U.S. Post Office and Searby Funeral Home. Tamarora is located 7 miles north of Du Quoin, Illinois. Evacuation centers have been set up in Dubois, Illinois.

According to the Illinois State Police, the chemical vinyl chrloride is on-board in tanker cars, amongst other chemicals.

A press conference is scheduled for this afternoon.

Heartland News has a crew on the scene. Stay tuned to KFVS-12 and KFVS12.com for late breaking information about the derailment.

[Mo1]

Fox News is airing it NOW!!

[Lion's Cub]

This is the second derailment in Ill. on that hazmat line in the last several months. They had to evacuate a whole small town for the last one, too. That story is in the archives somewhere, but I don't remember the title.

[JustPiper]

Thanks.

[John H K]

i dunno, but it seems to me weve had lots of derailed trains around lately. sounds suspicious to me

People thought the same thing late last year but some intrepid FReepers found that the derailments hadn't increased at all, statistically.

Impressions are worthless...statistics are everything. For whatever reason, people became more inclined to post derailment stories on FR, people became more inclined to read them, leading to a snowball effect where as people noticed more derailments, they noticed more derailments.

[JustPiper]

KFVS12.com is keeping us updated. Thanks to all freepers.

[JustPiper]

Can you tell me what vinyl chloride is and does?

[Tennessee_Bob]

leading to a snowball effect where as people noticed more derailments, they noticed more derailments.

For the same reason as when you're thinking about buying a particular car, you start seeing more of that particular car on the road.

[dark_lord]

Vinyl Chloride

[Nataku X]

Yep, same thing is going on with Freepers and earthquakes. Fact is, we're not experiencing more earthquakes (in fact, we're experiencing fewer) historically, but a lot of Freepers are keeping track of earthquake news because of biblical prophecy.

[SelmaLee]

I'm pretty sure that it's a gas used to make PVC-plastic. At least that's what a cursory Google search told me after I read your first posting and realized where the derailment occurred. LOL

I hope your family is far removed from the danger. I'm about 25 miles away. Stay tuned to KFVS-12 online, they do cover local stories well enough.

[steveegg]

Can you tell me what vinyl chloride is and does?

The edited highlights from the CDC's "ToxFAQ" for vinyl chloride:

Vinyl chloride is a colorless, flammable gas at normal temperatures with a mild, sweet odor. It is a manufactured substance that is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC is used to make a variety of plastic products, including pipes, wire and cable coatings, and the furniture and automobile upholstery.

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Exposure to vinyl chloride occurs mainly in the workplace. Breathing high levels of vinyl chloride for short periods of time can cause dizziness, sleepiness, unconsciousness, and at extremely high levels can cause death. Breathing vinyl chloride for long periods of time can result in permanent liver damage, immune reactions, nerve damage, and liver cancer.

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What happens to vinyl chloride when it enters the environment?

• Liquid vinyl chloride evaporates easily into the air. Vinyl chloride, if it is near the surface of soil or water, can also evaporate.
• Vinyl chloride in the air can break down within a few days to other substances, some of which can be harmful.
• Small amounts of vinyl chloride can dissolve in water.
• Vinyl chloride is unlikely to build up in plants or animals.