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Pam Kline welcomed me through the front door of her home in East Palestine, Ohio, on a wet afternoon when we did not know if it was safe to be in the rain. About a week prior to our meeting, a train derailed in this small slice of the heartland, releasing toxic chemicals into the soil and sky. The house is a well-kept American Foursquare with an enclosed porch filled by the leathery smell of tobacco. She apologized for the odor as I entered the living room where her husband, Lenny, and a friendly Australian shepherd awaited. I told her the smell was pleasant. Even amid a crisis, the Klines were warm and kind.But as we spoke, I could see the despair in their eyes. When Norfolk Southern train 32N careened off the tracks in the night on Feb. 3, it upended their lives and the lives of East Palestine’s roughly 5,000 residents.Today, the flames that engulfed the train and its poisonous cargo have been extinguished. But there remains a sense of uncertainty and fear among the residents of East Palestine. They do not know who to trust. They are angry at the railroad company. And they feel neglected by their leaders. ...The behemoth freight train originated from Madison, Illinois, hauling 151 cars, measuring 9,300 feet long, and weighing 18,000 tons. There were indications of trouble days before it derailed. On the evening of Feb. 1, it broke down at least once. Employees familiar with the matter said there were concerns from those working with the train about its massive size. They spoke to CBS News anonymously about the matter for fear of retaliation from Norfolk Southern.“We shouldn’t be running trains that are 150 car lengths long,” one of them said. “There should be some limitations to the weight and the length of the trains. In this case, had the train not been 18,000 tons, it’s very likely the effects of the derailment would have been mitigated.” ...Eleven of the cars that derailed carried hazardous chemicals. They included the following: Butyl acrylate, a highly flammable liquid used for making paints. Ethylhexyl acrylate, a combustible liquid that is used to make paint and plastics. Ethylene glycol, a flammable liquid used in paint and antifreeze. Vinyl chloride, a toxic and flammable chemical used to make polyvinyl chloride or PVC. Vinyl chloride is also extremely carcinogenic. ...
