The National Transportation Safety Board said that Norfolk Southern and its contractors unnecessarily burned toxic chemicals – including vinyl chloride – from its tank cars during the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last February, unleashing hazardous fumes into the air.
In a board meeting on Tuesday, the NTSB said that an overheated wheel bearing caused the derailment, adding that Norfolk Southern and its contractors “misinterpreted and disregarded evidence” in reaching its decision to execute a controversial controlled burn over concerns that the vinyl chloride could potentially explode.
