US Train Derailment Releases Deadly Gas
The derailment of a freight train in Livingston, Kentucky, led to the release of deadly gases last week forcing the evacuation of local residents.
16 freight cars of the CSX train derailed and caught fire, two of them being tank cars carrying molten sulphur, which is classified as class 4.1 dangerous goods.
The Kentucky governor declared a state of emergency while authorities tested for class 2.3 sulphur dioxide, which is the gas formed when molten sulphur burns. In small amounts the gas causes breathing difficulties, but in higher concentrations it is deadly.
The fire was extinguished within 24 hours but the derailment is one in 40 freight train incidents this year. This includes a highly publicised crash and chemical spill in Ohio this February, where residents are still said to be feeling the effects.
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