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The train derailment in Baltimore focused attention once again on the issue of transporting hazardous material, including radioactive and nuclear waste, through densely populated areas. The cargo of the CSX L41216 included hydrochloric acid, 5,000 gallons of which spilled before workers began pumping it out. The train also carried tripropylene, a combustible lubricant similar to paint thinner, and hydrofluoric acid, a corrosive used in making gasoline. The derailment was unusual; the shipment was not. CSX reports that 40 freight trains run through Baltimore on an average day. Some days, all of them carry hazardous materials. Trainloads of hazardous materials cut through metropolitan areas around the country on a daily basis. With the transport of hazardous materials, it is crucial to have the involvement of a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and the Fire Department to provide community awareness and interagency cooperation.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission design criteria for high-level nuclear waste containers calls for casks to be able to withstand a 1,475 degree fire for 30 minutes. The Baltimore tunnel fire temperatures, estimated to be greater than 1,500 degrees, surpassed the NRC’s design criteria for containers that would hold atomic waste. One Senator has complained that the NRC criteria go back to 1947 without any updates, despite combustibles on the roads and rails today that burn at much higher temperatures.
On October 5, 2001, at a United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management, and Intergovernmental Relations hearing, Baltimore’s Mayor testified on the readiness, preparedness, and vulnerability of the City of Baltimore.
“…Baltimore had a chance to test our readiness in a chemical incident this past July, when a CSX train loaded with toxic chemicals derailed and burst into flame—burning in a tunnel beneath our city for five days….
During the train fire, as is the case in virtually any crisis, local government was the first on the scene. Baltimore’s Fire Department arrived within minutes after being contacted by CSX. The Police Department, coordinating with the Fire Department and our Transportation Office, began to reroute traffic and secure areas that presented potential dangers—including Camden Yards, only a few hundred feet away from the tunnel, where the second game of an Orioles doubleheader was scheduled to begin. And the Health Department was monitoring air quality….
One thing that was immediately apparent was the need for an effective incident command structure. [emphasis added] Right away, we knew the accident was serious, but not how serious. Within hours, we had the convergence of every level of government: Baltimore’s Fire, Police and Health Departments; the State Departments of Transportation, and the Environment; and the National Transportation Safety Board….
Given the rapidly changing state of information—which I believe is the case during any emergency situation—we needed to integrate all of these government agencies into a command structure capable of quickly receiving, evaluating, acting upon and disseminating information.
The fire was the most immediate problem that needed to be addressed, so our Fire Department assumed control of the accident scene until it was extinguished several days later. The Governor’s order that the State agencies to defer to local decision makers was critical in making this operation run smoothly.
The CSX fire had one more complicating factor, which was probably not atypical of a potential terrorist attack. We were forced to work in multiple locations: Camden Yards at the south end of the tunnel, Mt. Royal at the north end, and a manhole in the middle of downtown that was directly above the burning train.
One of the first things we realized—based on our experience in the CSX tunnel fire—was that most rail yards and tracks, filled with chemical tanker and munitions cars, represent one of our most vulnerable targets….
Baltimore is like every other city on the East Coast in this vulnerability. Hazardous materials are shipped by rail within yards of residential neighborhoods. There were large apartment buildings right next to the tunnel where our train fire burned. Commerce cannot stop, but this is one area where the federal government can make a significant impact.”
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