What is vinyl chloride? Chemical aboard derailed Ohio train could produce toxic gas

A train carrying vinyl chloride and other chemicals derailed and caught fire near East Palestine, Ohio, raising fears of toxic contamination, Ohio officials reported.

But what is vinyl chloride, and why is it dangerous?

The Norfolk Southern Railway freight train derailed Friday, Feb. 3, igniting an inferno that burned for days, CNN reported.

Five rail cars carried vinyl chloride, “a chemical that is currently unstable and could explode, hurling toxic fumes into the air and shooting deadly shrapnel as far as a mile away,” officials told CNN.

People within a 1-mile-by-2-mile area in Ohio and Pennsylvania — East Palestine is about 60 miles northwest of Pittsburgh — have been ordered to evacuate as officials plan a “controlled release” of the chemical to try to prevent an explosion, NBC News reported.

Here’s what to know:

What is vinyl chloride?

Vinyl chloride is a chemical used to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes, vehicle upholstery and picnic utensils, NBC News reported.

It’s a “colorless gas that burns easily,” according to the National Cancer Institute. It’s also found in cigarette smoke.

Vinyl chloride is a man-made chemical not found in nature. It becomes a liquid at very cold temperatures.

Why is vinyl chloride dangerous?

Breathing too much vinyl chloride can cause unconsciousness or death, the Ohio Department of Health said.

Symptoms can include dizziness or headache, the agency said.

Sil Caggiano, a former battalion chief with the Youngstown Fire Department and a hazardous materials specialist, told WKBN the chemical could produce phosgene gas similar to gas attacks from World War I in an explosion.

“The resulting fire is going to release the vinyl chloride, which will burn and turn into hydrogen chloride and turn into phosgene,” Caggiano told the station.

It’s also a known carcinogen associated with increased risk of a rare form of liver cancer along with other liver cancers, brain and lung cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia, according to the National Cancer Institute.

This story was originally published February 6, 2023 at 4:14 PM with the headline "What is vinyl chloride? Chemical aboard derailed Ohio train could produce toxic gas."