So my concerns are less about the actual release of chemicals and the burn off from this particular derailment affecting me (I live ~30 miles from the site) because although vinyl chloride and the results of burning it are dangerous the dissipation into atmosphere and duration of exposure at this distance aren't likely to cause me any effect at all. Interest in wind directions and the constant checking is like "should I be able to smell funk?" rather than "Oh fuck I just got cancer from this."

My real issue here is that this is a result most likely of rail companies that are cutting staff, increasing hours, foregoing maintenance and building longer and more dangerous trains in the name of profit above all, and government backing the rail companies over unions that are fighting for safety of themselves and the communities the trains go through.

Preliminary reports are that this is the result of a mechanical failure, and it was found by a wayside defect detector. The problems here though are that the train couldn't be brought safely to a stop after the defect was detected. Why? And after derailment, all of the safety measures designed into these tankers couldn't properly function to prevent the risk of an imminent BLEVE. Those are issues that I think government needs to stop allowing rail companies to ignore.