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Authorities decided to burn 1,000,000 pounds of vinyl chloride releasing hundreds of thousands of pounds of hydrochloric acid into the atmosphere - why isn't anyone talking about it?
Why have heads of the DOT, EPA, and FEMA remained silent about the massive train derailment in Ohio? At least one reporter was arrested and jailed for attempting to cover the event. What is going on?
It is unlikely you’ve heard about the massive 50-car train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio because the media seems completely disinterested in the story. You would think that Hunter Biden’s laptop was being transported on the Norfolk Southern railway given the lack of coverage the train derailment has received in the mainstream media. In fact, at least one reporter was arrested and jailed for attempting to report on the story.1 So what is going on?
The Norfolk Southern train was using Civil War-era brakes despite carrying hazardous materials through heavily populated areas.2 In this case, the train was carrying five tankers carrying 250,000 pounds of liquid vinyl chloride (H2C=CHCl)3 each. Given the very low boiling temperature of vinyl chloride (8°F) when the five cars burst open over 1,000,000 pounds of the toxic liquid began leaching into the air spreading the deadly poison into the environment.4
Authorities made the decision to burn the vinyl chloride to prevent it from exploding.5 Shortly before the controlled burn the governor released the following map to help residents understand the risks of remaining in the area. Red = Death and Yellow = Serious Injury.
The controlled burn created a massive mushroom cloud over the city and could be seen by planes as they flew above the disaster area.
The byproduct caused by burning vinyl chloride is called hydrogen chloride.6 When it hits the water vapor in the air it forms hydrochloric acid.7 The controlled burn of the rail tankers resulted in hundreds of thousands of pounds of acid being released into the environment - this is the largest vinyl chloride spill/fire in the history of the planet (the only other spill was a single tanker in New Jersey but authorities, in that case, didn't set fire to the chemical. So what will the long-term effects be from this incident? No one is sure and the media isn't even slightly interested in helping the American people find out.
So what about Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg? What did he have to say about the train derailment and the decision to release hundreds of thousands of pounds of hydrochloric acid into the air? Pete was VERY active on Twitter discussing his vacation plans and the book ‘Song of Achilles’ that Chasten bought for him after he finished reading ‘Time Management for Mortals’.8 Interestingly, 'Song of Achilles' is an LGBTQ version of Homer's Iliad told from the perspective of Patroclus and detailed his romantic relationship with Achilles during the Trojan War.9 But he was silent about the train derailment and the decision to burn the vinyl chloride.
EPA head Michael Regan and FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell have both been active on Twitter but similarly to Mayor Pete, they’ve both been silent about the train derailment and the environmental disaster facing the people of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Why is the Biden administration refusing to address this disaster?
The only real coverage of the incident has been on Twitter:
[Developing]
Vinyl chloride is an organochloride with the formula H2C=CHCl. It is also called vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) or chloroethene. This colorless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC). About 13 million tonnes are produced annually. VCM is among the top twenty largest petrochemicals (petroleum-derived chemicals) in world production. The United States currently remains the largest VCM manufacturing region because of its low-production-cost position in chlorine and ethylene raw materials. China is also a large manufacturer and one of the largest consumers of VCM. Vinyl chloride is a gas with a sweet odor. It is highly toxic, flammable, and carcinogenic. It can be formed in the environment when soil organisms break down chlorinated solvents. Vinyl chloride that is released by industries or formed by the breakdown of other chlorinated chemicals can enter the air and drinking water supplies. Vinyl chloride is a common contaminant found near landfills.
The compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula HCl and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hydrogen chloride gas and hydrochloric acid are important in technology and industry. Hydrochloric acid, the aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride, is also commonly given the formula HCl.
Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctively pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid. It is a component of gastric acid in the digestive systems of most animal species, including humans. Hydrochloric acid is an important laboratory reagent and industrial chemical.
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