💨 Abstract

After the 2023 East Palestine train derailment, a specialized plane could have prevented the unnecessary venting and burning of toxic rail tank cars, a new report suggests. The plane was not deployed until too late due to officials' lack of understanding of its capabilities. The EPA's on-scene coordinator mistakenly believed the plane could only measure large temperature differences, but it can detect differences of less than 1 degree, which could have informed better decision-making.

Courtesy: WTOP Staff