Big time bad news in Paulsboro NJ

[Ian MacMillan]

1. The accident occurred on a Conrail bridge over the Mantua Creek in a residential area. The bridge and the tracks are private property, owned by rail giant CSX, but railways are under federal jurisdiction. CSX employees got to work immediately, attempting to contain the spill, upright the rail cars, and clear the bridge.

2. Shortly, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived and asserted authority, moving residents away from the area pending an investigation.

3. By Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard was on the scene, brushing aside the NTSB till the waterways are secure, since Mantua Creek is a Delaware River tributary.

4. On Sunday afternoon, the Coast Guard evacuated a 12-block area through Dec. 8, though some residents had already returned home.

5. On Monday, schools were opened and then closed again by mid-morning, putting children in harm’s way twice: Once going to school and once coming home. One can only imagine the annoyance and inconvenience felt by parents.

So, who’s in charge?

Ahhh the ever present pissing match. Doesnt even need a disaster to see this... If one thing is certain in public safety theres always some agency "higher" than  you and tells you to move along.

[rickb773]

From the JournalStar.com:

Federal investigators have completed the on-site portion of their inquiry into a New Jersey train derailment that released a hazardous chemical, forcing evacuations that remain in place.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced Friday that it had finished its work in Paulsboro, nearly exactly a week after the Nov. 30 derailment.

The NTSB says it will have a preliminary report completed in about two weeks.

Meanwhile, the site cleanup is continuing as crews remove derailed cars.

Photos from MercuryNews.com:

[Ntrainz1]

update:
Response & Recovery Branch:
• Acetone wash was completed at 1800. 440 gallons of vinyl chlorideacetone
solution removed during pump-off operations.
• Steam cleaning of breached tank car commenced at 1918 hours and
completed at 0740 hours. When complete, tank car will be classified as
“cleaned and purged.”
• USCGC CAPSTAN relieved USCGC CLEAT at 2015 hours.
• Phase 2 Incident Action Plan has been completed.

[rickb773]

Still waiting for investigative report.
54 people have filed a lawsuit against Conrail.

[wazzou]

Damn.  That's a big crane.  Is it on land or mounted to a barge?

[Bob Bufkin]

Barge mounted crane.  Lawsuits coming.  Only  a matter4 of time before the damn ambulence chasers get involved.

[conrail98]

Barge mounted crane.  Lawsuits coming.  Only  a matter4 of time before the damn ambulence chasers get involved.

Already involved. One woman is suing for 10 million and 54 other residents just joined in, http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20121213_54_Paulsboro_residents_join_in_suit_against_Conrail.html,

Phil

[DKS]

Normally I find people are entirely too lawsuit-happy, but in this case there seems to be considerable evidence against Conrail.

[GonzoCRFan]

Gotta love an overly-panicked public freaking out about a low-level exposure to a moderately toxic chemical. I wonder how many of them are completely oblivious to the fact that they're probably getting chronic exposures to low levels of all sorts of nastiness just from living so close to the plants and refineries in that town...

[Philip H]

Gotta love an overly-panicked public freaking out about a low-level exposure to a moderately toxic chemical. I wonder how many of them are completely oblivious to the fact that they're probably getting chronic exposures to low levels of all sorts of nastiness just from living so close to the plants and refineries in that town...

We had the same issue in Baton Rouge when I was growing up.  They don't call the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans "Cancer Alley" for nothing.  As both a trained haz mat responder, and a former analytical chemist for a pharmaceutical manufacturer, I can tell you that driving too and from work with the windows down will give you more exposure then this spill did.

[rickb773]

From the Gloucester County Times Friday December 14, 2012:

Paulsboro train derailment: Second and third cars containing vinyl chloride removed

PAULSBORO — Efforts to remove damaged rail cars and make repairs at the site of the Paulsboro train derailment are continuing...The most “vertically oriented car,” which contains vinyl chloride, was rigged and lifted onto a barge at 1 p.m. Friday afternoon, she said.

Another car, also containing vinyl chloride, was rerailed and moved with an adjourning car north from the site.

They’re the second and third cars to be removed from the site of the Nov. 30 derailment so far, with the only breached car containing vinyl chloride having been removed on Tuesday.

“The first car we moved today presented a huge challenge logistically, since it was the most vertical of all the derailed cars,” said Moore. “The Unified Command is very pleased with the progress made today. We are now setting our sights on removing the two remaining rail cars as safely and quickly as possible.”

The Coast Guard officer said teams will next work to reposition the movable part of the bridge back onto its setting. Their focus will then turn to rigging and lifting another partially submerged car — containing ethanol — onto a barge.

Moore said crews hope to remove one car a day but, with very narrow time frames for diving operations, there are no guarantees. Diving is limited to the hour-long “slack tides” at the end of high and low tides when there is little to no current on Mantua Creek.
...
The rail cars are being moved to OxyVinyl in Carneys Point to handle the product in a “controlled facility.” Cars will also be inspected by the National Transportation Safety Board, Moore said.

All but three homes, a church and the VFW post — the buildings that are “most impacted by the current operations” — have been deemed safe to occupy after being evacuated, she said.


I assume they now tie the trucks onto tank cars. More than a decade ago when I consulted at Conrail they had a problem with a flood at a DuPont facility and all the empty tank cars floated off their trucks. The only thing that kept them from floating down the Delaware river was the chain link fence at the end of the property!

[rickb773]

From the U.S. Coast Guard site: http://www.cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1850855

121212-G-ZZ999-006-East Jefferson Street Bridge Derailment 2012

Debris removal continues Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012, at the site of the East Jefferson Street Bridge Derailment in Paulsboro, N.J. Response crews successfully removed a breached rail car Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, and transferred it to a barge. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Slanina

[Ian MacMillan]

The trucks still float on the bolsters. That one hanging is tied on by the strap for the lift, but most likely was kept on the car by the  brake pipe rigging.

[rickb773]

"Four trains, the Unified Command said Monday, successfully traversed the bridge between 1:15 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday."

The bridge is non-movable at the moment (which will not be an issue until boating traffic resumes in the spring).

The current issue is one (or more) towns have withdrawn from the area's combined hazmat first responding team because defective county equipment resulted in several men being over exposed to toxic chemicals.

[rickb773]

Action News confronts Conrail on secret Paulsboro payouts

PHILADELPHIA - February 19, 2013 (WPVI) -- On November 30, 2012, four Conrail tanker cars derailed in Mantua Creek. One of those cars held 180,000 pounds of vinyl chloride, that seeped into the air and into the water.

Emergency responders evacuated parts of Paulsboro. But other residents were left behind, told to close their windows and take shelter inside.
...
As Conrail started to clean up the chemical spill, rumors about cash payouts started spreading.
"It sounds kind of strange that they are going to give everybody $500 to be quiet, I guess," Ward said.

Like dozens of other residents we observed, Ward went to the Family Assistance Center to file a claim and listened as a Conrail representative promised him cash to sign papers.
"By signing this release you are forever barred from bringing a lawsuit or any claim against any of the companies or individuals listed on the release for any reason," a Conrail representative can be heard saying in an undercover video, after a concerned resident agreed to take our hidden camera inside to document the process on tape.

"Giving up the right to be a part of the class action lawsuit means that you're giving up the potential to receive more money than your offered settlement payment," the representative said.

They were offered various amounts of money.
"The railroad is offering you $650," the representative told the resident.
Those affected were told they could sign the papers now or they could risk losing a chance at money in the future.

"If I sign this and I was to get cancer, what would happen?" the resident said.
The Conrail representative responded by saying, "Well first of all, they would have to prove it was caused by the derailment, and how are they going to prove that?"

Residents were told they couldn't have a copy of the confidential agreement, but Action News got one. The contract releases the company of any liability for the incident, including unknown injuries spanning from brain damage, dementia, cancer, and even death.

Action News spoke with Dr. Ray Panettieri, a toxicologist at the University of Pennsylvania.
"We find extensive studies showing that [vinyl chloride] affects the liver and it affects the liver in inducing cancer, a very particular cancer called angiosarcoma," Dr. Panettieri said.

Resident Kristi Kidd and Dawn Emerson both refused the money, concerned about any illnesses they could suffer in the weeks, months, and years to come.
"I am not willing to give away my life for $500," Emerson said.

We approached Conrail representatives about the contract, but they would not comment - only saying, "Would you leave, please?" and "I'm going to call the police."

Charles Ward says he tried to return the checks, but says the company refused.
"I called them back the next day and asked if I brought the two checks back can I get the paperwork, and they just hung up on me again. They said they won't accept the checks back," Ward said.

Once residents sign that paperwork, Conrail says they're bound to that agreement.

The company did contact Action News later and sent a written statement saying:

The claims process is designed to address claims fairly and promptly and with finality...We will continue to assist Paulsboro residents and businesses through this process. This is an important step in Conrail's commitment to the Paulsboro community.
(Copyright ©2013 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)