Did emergency workers in Ohio train derailment lack crucial hazmat data?

Emergency officials who rushed to the scene of a toxic Norfolk Southern Corp. train derailment last month may not have had access to crucial information about which hazardous materials the train was carrying, the Department of Transportation said in a safety advisory Friday.

Rescue workers and others responding to the 38-car derailment in East Palestine may not have had a mobile app used by first responders to quickly obtain information about the chemicals the train was carrying, the Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said.

“Emergency responders’ timely access to accurate train-consist information is crucial to understanding hazards present in a derailment and other incidents involving a train transporting hazmat,” according to the advisory, which asked railroads to review emergency responders’ access to the app, known as AskRail.

The 149-car train that derailed in the Feb. 3 incident had 19 cars carrying flammable gases and liquids, corrosives and other environmentally hazardous substances, according to PHMSA. Among them was vinyl chloride — considered a carcinogen — as well as ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Eleven of those hazardous-materials cars derailed, the NTSB has said.

Three days after the accident, authorities intentionally vented and burned five tank cars containing vinyl chloride, in a safety measure designed to relieve pressure and prevent an explosion that could eject chemicals and metal shrapnel.

“PHMSA may take additional action on this issue in the future if investigations reveal that improvements in the emergency response planning process are necessary to reduce the impacts of hazmat transportation accidents,” the agency said in the notice.