Ohio derailment that spilled toxic chemicals and shook community should raise alarms here
In fact, accidents, like the one in northeastern Ohio, are happening with striking regularity, according to a by The Guardian. The story, which used data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency and by nonprofits that track chemical accidents, shows that accidental releases — be they through train derailments, truck crashes, pipeline ruptures, or industrial plant leaks and spills — are happening consistently across the country.
In the first seven weeks of this year, there were more than 30 accidents recorded by the , roughly one every day and a half. Last year the coalition recorded 188, up from 177 in 2021. The group has identified more than 470 incidents since it started keeping track in April 2020.
High-risk industrial and commercial facilities that use and/or store hazardous chemicals are found in every state, according to the . Some 124 million people — nearly 40% of the U.S. population — live within 3 miles of one of about 12,500 hazardous facilities included in the EPA’s .
Providence, especially the city’s 02905 zip code, is home to accidents waiting to happen. About a dozen polluters in 02905 are routinely listed in the EPA’s . This section of the city contains a greater number of polluting facilities than any other zip code in Providence County.
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