EPA begins formal review of vinyl chloride, toxic chemical that burned in Ohio train derailment

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is initiating a formal evaluation of risks posed by vinyl chloride, the cancer-causing chemical that burned in a towering plume of toxic black smoke following a fiery train derailment earlier this year in eastern Ohio. The Environmental Protection Agency has said it will review risks posed by a handful of chemicals, including vinyl chloride, which is used to make a plastic products like pipes, wire and packaging materials. It is also found in polyvinyl chloride plastic, aka PVC. The EPA says it will study vinyl chloride to determine whether it poses an “unreasonable risk to human health or the environment,″ a process that is expected to take at least three years.