EPA launches safety review for Ohio train derailment chemical

by Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk - 12/14/23 5:54 PM ET

Energy & Environment

The Big Story

EPA takes potential step toward regulating plastics chemical

The Biden administration on Thursday said it would launch a formal review of vinyl chloride, the chemical that spilled in the town of East Palestine, Ohio, in February.

This review could be the first step toward further restrictions or a potential ban on the substance.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would launch the process to prioritize vinyl chloride and four other chemicals to evaluate risks they may pose.

The EPA will make a decision in 12 months on whether to designate the chemicals as “high-priority substances,” which will prompt a risk evaluation.

Vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), an ingredient in many plastics.
According to the National Cancer Institute, vinyl chloride is associated with cancers of the liver, brain, lungs and blood.

The chemical made headlines earlier this year after it was one of several on board a train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in Feburary. Officials vented and burned off the chemical.

Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.

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