Toxic Chemical Spills

In the first two months of 2023, there were at least 30 potentially dangerous chemical spills across the country, according to the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters. In every year since 1993, the U.S. has reported more than 30,000 chemical and oil spills.

Although the most recent examples of dangerous chemical spills come from train derailments, spills happen in a variety of ways, from accidents to natural events to sabotage. Some spills are small and harmless. Others are disasters that require emergency evacuations.

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio and surrounding areas have filed multiple lawsuits against Norfolk Southern Corporation following the recent Ohio train derailment. The suits allege negligence and carelessness not only for the accident but also for how it disposed of hazardous chemicals including vinyl chloride and benzene that spilled into the environment.

Causes of chemical spills can be natural or human-caused. Natural causes include earthquakes, hurricanes, fires and volcanic eruptions. Human-caused events include industrial accidents or unsafe handling, improper storage, failure of storage containers and improper disposal.

During volcanic eruptions, for example, significant amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen halides are emitted. Human activities such as oil spills can also release chemicals into the environment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes these can be the result of ship collisions, fuel transfer mishaps and catastrophic spill events.

Threats to human health stemming from chemical spills include outbreaks of disease associated with chemical exposure and contamination of the drinking water and food supply. The WHO identifies human-caused events – sometimes broadly called “technological events” – as the cause of an estimated 65,000 deaths between 2008 and 2018.

Toxic chemical spills can cause severe breathing issues, genetic mutations, behavioral irregularities, birth defects, kidney failure and cause cancer. Reproduction can also be adversely affected.

In the Ohio train derailment incident, for example, vinyl chloride was among the released toxins that caused the most concern. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies vinyl chloride as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is enough evidence to conclude it causes cancer in humans.Used to make PVC, vinyl chloride is also associated with eye irritation, respiratory damage and liver damage.

A toxic spill’s impact on environmental health depends on the amount and specific substances released. Leaks and spills can pollute the air, soil, surface water and groundwater.

As the NOAA notes, “The release of oil and chemicals into our coastal waterways can kill wildlife, destroy habitat, and contaminate critical resources in the food chain. Spills can also wreak havoc on the economies of coastal communities by forcing the closure of fisheries, driving away tourists, or temporarily shutting down navigation routes. And these environmental and economic damages can linger for decades.”

The largest marine oil spill in history was the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon industrial disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Petroleum leaked for five months after an oil rig explosion 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Gulf currents pushed oil and tar balls to beaches in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, polluting 1,100 miles of shoreline. BP created a $20 billion fund to compensate victims and settled hundreds of lawsuits.

The United States Government Accountability Office’s 2022 report to Congress outlines recommendations to the Environmental Protection Agency to help prevent chemical spills. Recommendations include clarifying how to assess risks from natural disasters and climate change, designing a robust information system to track issues flagged in facility inspections and evaluating risks to communities from chemical spills.

While businesses and commercial organizations have lobbied against regulations designed to prevent toxic spills, labor organizations have voiced support for stronger rules. In October 2022 the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, for example, not only supported proposed Accidental Release Prevention Requirements, but proposed their own recommendations to the Office of Land and Emergency Management strengthen the requirements.

In January 2023, 16 U.S. Senators and 33 members of Congress wrote to the EPA to support the Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention proposed rule. The elected officials also asked that the EPA take further steps to protect communities and workers. While commending the agency for recognizing “climate change as a threat multiplier,” they “encourage EPA to strengthen these provisions by also requiring implementation of mitigation measures to prevent these climate-related ‘double disasters,’ as emphasized in the GAO’s February 2022 report.”

The EPA’s emergency response program coordinates with other programs within the agency, state and local authorities, the Army Corps. of Engineers and a variety of other organizations to help clean up chemical spills quickly and safely. The EPA responds to biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear incidents.

The NOAA is also charged with responding to hazardous spills through its Ocean Service’s Office of Response and Restoration. As the agency explains, “This office’s Emergency Response Division is often first on the scene, providing scientific expertise to predict where the spill is going and what impacts it might have, identifying resources at risk, and recommending clean-up methods.”

A federally established National Response System manages a National Response Center that serves as a call center for initial reports oil spills, chemical releases, railroad incidents and pollution. To report a chemical spill, call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.