(The following story by James Cummings appeared on the Dayton Daily News website on July 2, 2009.)
MORAINE, Ohio — A rail car went off the tracks and struck another rail car containing a potentially hazardous chemical at a Norfolk Southern rail yard late Wednesday night, July 1, Lt. Gary Rettig of the Moraine fire department said.
But the impact did not damage the chemical car enough to cause any leaks, Rettig said.
The accident happened in a rail yard near the intersection of Springboro Pike and Northlawn Avenue just before midnight Wednesday, Rettig said.
A hopper car left the tracks and slid into the chemical car on a nearby track. The chemical car contained acetone cyanohydrin, Rettig said.
According to a New Jersey Department of Health online document, the chemical is a toxic liquid used in insecticides and other applications. It can enter the body through skin contact, and its fumes can irritate eyes and lungs.
The impact at the rail yard damaged the outer layer on the chemical car, but the inner compartment holding the chemical was not affected, Rettig said.
There was no danger to firefighters and other workers on the scene, and there will be no need for a hazardous chemical cleanup, Rettig said.