Tell EPA: Ban Toxic Vinyl Chloride
A man takes photos as a black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern train, Feb. 6, 2023. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar.
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. Please join us in urging the EPA to take the critical first step in banning this toxic chemical before any more harm is done to communities like East Palestine, Ohio. Fill out the form below to contact EPA Administrator Michael Regan. If you have any difficulty accessing the petition form below, please click here to add your name.
MORE INFORMATION
The vinyl chloride carried in five of the train cars that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio is a very toxic chemical used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic. You can get more information in Beyond Plastics’ fact sheet and the news articles below.
Grist: A plastic chemical caused a toxic mess in Ohio last year. Now, the EPA is eyeing regulation | 1/9/24
Toxic-Free Future Research Report: PVC Poison Plastic: An investigation following the Ohio train derailment of widespread vinyl chloride pollution caused by PVC production | 4/13/23
News Release: The True Cost of Plastics: New Video Documents East Palestine Residents’ Experiences After Toxic Train Derailment | 3/16/23
Democracy Now: East Palestine Toxic Train Crash Shows Plastics Industry Toll on Planet. Will U.S. Ban Vinyl Chloride? | 3/13/23
News Release: Beyond Plastics and Hip Hop Caucus Call on EPA to Ban Vinyl Chloride | 3/9/23
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
New York Times | This Deadly Chemical Should Be Banned | 2/19/23
Wired | The Ohio Derailment Lays Bare the Hellish Plastic Crisis | 2/18/23
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
VIDEO: THE TRUE COSTS OF PLASTIC - EAST PALESTINE, OHIO
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DOWNLOADABLE FACT SHEET
Click here to download an easy to follow three page fact sheet (PDF) on vinyl chloride.
BEYOND PLASTICS PRESIDENT AND FORMER U.S. EPA REGIONAL ADIMINSTRATOR, JUDITH ENCK ON THE OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT AND THE PLASTIC POLLUTION CRISIS