(Corrects name of refinery in paragraph 11)
* State says minimal environmental impact
* Bridge underwent extensive repairs after 2009 derailment
By Dave Warner
PAULSBORO, N.J., Nov 30 (Reuters) – A rail bridge collapsed
on Friday over a creek in southern New Jersey, causing a Conrail
freight train to derail and spill hazardous chemicals into the
air and water, authorities said.
One of four tanks of the freight train carrying vinyl
chloride fell into Mantua Creek, and its contents leaked into
the waterway, which feeds into the Delaware River near
Philadelphia, according to the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection.
Some 22 people were taken to a nearby hospital for
precautionary examinations and were doing fine, said Larry
Ragonese, a DEP spokesman who said the health danger and
environmental impact was minimal.
“Initially there was a release of gas into the air that
affected some nearby residents and people working right in that
area,” he said.
Exposure to vinyl chloride, a highly toxic and flammable
industrial chemical, can cause burning eyes or respiratory
discomfort, he said.
Authorities evacuated a half-mile (805-metre) area around
the spill, which took place at about 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT) in
Paulsboro, New Jersey, just across the Delaware River from
Philadelphia, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Local schools were closed and students were sent home,
authorities said.
The leak was contained and no longer posed a threat, and
authorities were using booms to trap the chemical in the water,
Ragonese said.
At the scene, one of the freight cars was nearly vertical,
nose-down and partly submerged in the creek. Other cars lay
jumbled on the embankment.
“It’s part of living in Paulsboro, with refineries and
trains. We accept it,” said resident John Diamond, 53, who was
taking photographs at the scene.
The area is thick with chemical plants, and two refineries,
PBF Energy’s Paulsboro and NuStar’s Asphalt, are nearby.
Locals fish and go crabbing and jet-ski in the creek in the
warm months, Diamond said.
Air quality monitors in the area did not register any
problem, said Lawrence Hajna, also with the state DEP.
“All the levels are coming in within our safety range,” he
said.
The swing bridge that collapsed underwent extensive repairs
after getting damaged in a 2009 derailment of a coal freight
train, said John Burzichelli, a state assemblyman and former
mayor of Paulsboro.
New Jersey State Senate President Steve Sweeney, also on
the scene, said a nearby homeowner reported hearing a “loud
bang” from the bridge about two days ago, and Burzichelli said
Conrail had come out to examine it in response.
“That bridge is very old. It’s not a good day for Conrail,”
Burzichelli said.
Conrail officials could not be immediately reached for
comment. Sweeney said he too was having trouble getting in
contact with Conrail.
Conrail is jointly owned by rail operators CSX Corp
and Norfolk Southern Corp.
The U.S. Coast Guard was responding to the accident along
with the DEP.
(Additional reporting by Edith Honan and Ellen Wulfhorst;
Writing by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Vicki Allen)
