East Palestine, Ohio Disaster Is A Symptom Of The Plastic Pollution Crisis
The Vinyl Chloride which was in some of the train cars is a very toxic chemical used to make Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plastic. Learn more below and join us in taking action to ban toxic vinyl chloride.
On December 14, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC announced that it will include vinyl chloride in its short list of chemicals for risk evaluation. This is the first step required to ban a substance under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
News release: View the 12/14/23 news release for more information.
Take action: Ask your members of Congress to thank the EPA and share their support for a ban.
NEWS
Democracy Now: East Palestine Toxic Train Crash Shows Plastics Industry Toll on Planet. Will U.S. Ban Vinyl Chloride? | 3/13/2
New York Times | Why Is the E.P.A. So Timid in the East Palestine Train Disaster? | 3/8/23
Boston Globe | The East Palestine Disaster Was a Direct Result of the Country’s Reliance on Fossil Fuels and Plastic | 2/24/23
Wired | The Ohio Derailment Lays Bare the Hellish Plastic Crisis | 2/18/23
Washington Post | Residents wonder whether it’s safe to return after toxic train derailment | 2/12/2
Bloomberg | What the Ohio Train Derailment Says About the Dark Side of Plastics | 2/15/23
Toxic-Free Future | Ohio Train Derailment Vinyl Chloride Disaster Is Another Painful Reminder of PVC Plastic’s Toxic Lifecycle | 2/17/23
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Five of the train cars that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3, 2023, were carrying vinyl chloride which is a known human carcinogen. Vinyl chloride is used almost exclusively to make polyvinyl chloride plastic (commonly called PVC) which is hazardous to produce and dispose of.
Vinyl chloride is manufactured in low-income communities and communities of color in Louisiana, Texas, and Kentucky, where it threatens the health of local residents. The PVC plastic made from vinyl chloride is used to make everything from the iconic rubber ducky and other children's toys to pipes, floor coverings, shower curtains, raincoats, and vinyl siding. Fortunately, there are safer alternatives to PVC.
It's time for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban vinyl chloride. After many months of intense grassroots advocacy, on December 14, 2023, the U.S. EPA announced that it would include vinyl chloride in its priority list of chemicals for risk assessment.
This is the critical first step towards banning vinyl chloride under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act and your members of Congress must let EPA know they support this move and urge them to act as quickly as possible to prevent more harm from being done by vinyl chloride. As we've seen in East Palestine, Ohio, no community is safe from vinyl chloride's negative health impacts. The only true solution is to ban it!
Please take a moment to build the momentum now by emailing your members of Congress to urge them to push for an outright ban of vinyl chloride under the Toxic Control Substances Act. Click here to contact them now. >>
