Chemical burned in controlled explosion from East Palestine train derailment is vinyl chloride WOIO: Kurt Rhoads, associate professor at Case School of Engineering, shared his thoughts on the recent train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, where many of the tankers were hauling a toxic and harmful chemical called vinyl chloride. “If I try to make a scale of things you would not want to have in a derailed, toppled over rail car that’s leaking and burning, this is also near the top of that list,” he said. |