• Lovely_sombrero [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    A train derailed because the train company (owned by Buffett) is being crazy with their "cost optimization". Burning the chemicals probably is the best solution once you are in this situation, since they turn to gas at like ~10F. I don't know if there is an alternative. My guess is that the evacuation zone is waaay too small. Also, most of the chemicals will just fall back to Earth as acid rain, no?

    • Llituro [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Way too small for the chemical byproduct of burning vinyl chloride being gaseous hydrochloric acid.

      • Lovely_sombrero [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        And I doubt they can achieve a perfect burn of all the vinyl chloride either. I'm sure some got out.

        • Llituro [he/him, they/them]
          ·
          2 years ago

          yeah, this feels like one of those events where they do a study in 30 years and find early cancer deaths and birth defects or whatever

    • BowlingForDeez [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Do you have any more sources about the railroad owners or management or the cost optimization?

      • Lovely_sombrero [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        They are creating these huge train compositions of hundreds of train cars. Then they lobby to make sure that the cost of maintenance/upgrades is as low as possible - https://twitter.com/moetkacik/status/1623771792723566592

        in 2007 a Norfolk Southern company newsletter hailed "historic" new brakes that operated simultaneously throughout the length of freight trains. By 2017 NS was lobbying to repeal rules requiring ECP brakes on hazmat trains. he lobbyists won.

        Of course there are other problems as well, like overworking their employees etc.