Alberton Montana train derailment

It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do.
By Edmund Burke

April 11th, 1996 Alberton, Montana:

At approximately 4:00 am on the morning of April 11th, 1996, 18 of 72 rail cars left the tracks on a Montana Rail Link east-bound mixed freight train less than two miles upwind of Alberton, Montana, releasing three hazardous materials:

68 tons of spent potassium cresylate,64.8 tons of chlorine, and 85 pounds of dry sodium chlorate prills, total 133 tons of toxic waste.

An initial “hot zone” of 72 square miles resulted in over 1,200 people evacuating from their homes, 352 people were treated at local hospitals, and one man died from exposure to toxic fumes.

The evacuation lasted for nearly two weeks, closing traffic on I-90 for 17 days.

Chemical Matrix

Symptom List

Tenth Anniversary Editorial By ACCERT, A Tough Trip Through Paradise.

The story behind the numbers:

The Press	The People	The Government
On the Right Track Alberton victims finally get their say. But who will heed their message? They came this weekend bearing heart-wrenching stories, nearly a hundred people whose lives were suddenly and irrevocably altered in the early morning hours of April 11, 1996 when a Montana Rail Link train derailed near Alberton, spilling close to 133 tons of mixed chemicals. That accident created a toxic plume that forced the evacuation of about 1,200 people for three weeks, sending more than 300 people to local hospitals and taking the life of a homeless man. To date, many of these victims have never returned to their homes or businesses or been adequately compensated for their losses. *Missoula Independent*	Alberton residents: In it for the long haul by Lucinda Hodges, 9th anniversary article. It is hard to believe it has been nine years since the 1996 Montana Rail Link toxic train derailment, which spilled 133 tons of chemicals into the local air, soil, and water. I can still remember Mr. Bill Brodsky, then the president of Montana Rail Link, standing before a crowd of TV cameras and evacuees stating, "We’re going to be with you for the long haul--five years, ten years, whatever it takes." Then there was Mr. Randal Little of Railway Claims assuring us, “Every dime that you lose will be taken care of." *Clark Fork Chronicle*	NTSB Railroad Accident Brief Report PDF format for Alberton, Montana About 514 feet of rail was dislocated in the derailment. Approximately 444 feet of that total were recovered. Rail sections believed to have been located on the outside of the curve at the point of derailment exhibited gage and head wear. Additionally, a portion of rail recovered from the accident site displayed evidence of a vertical split head.
Hopes Derailed Five years after the Alberton chemical spill, victims are still struggling for answers. Will they ever find them? Five years have passed since that rainy morning of April 11, 1996 when a Montana Rail Link (MRL) train jumped the tracks two miles west of Alberton, derailing 18 cars and releasing 133 tons of toxic chemicals into the environment. The accident forced the evacuation of about 1,200 people for three weeks, sent more than 300 people to the hospital and immediately took the life of one homeless man who was aboard the train. *Missoula Independent*	Alberton looks back at spill by Ron Scholl It’s been nine years since the April 11, 1996, Alberton train derailment sidetracked the lives of many people by various degrees as a cloud of poison spread through the Clark Fork Valley. What lessons have we taken away from that frightening experience? The lethal derailment ninety days past in Graniteville, South Carolina, reminds us that toxic catastrophes will continue to happen and we’d best pay attention to how they unfold to help mitigate the consequences. *Clark Fork Chronicle*	Evaluation of Residual Respiratory and Other Health Effects from a Chlorine Release The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) conducted a follow-up study to evaluate residual respiratory, dermatological, ocular and neurological effects in community members exposed acutely to chlorine, as the result of a train derailment which occurred April 11, 1996. *ATSDR*
“EPA, Please Hold...” Has Washington politics derailed the Alberton spill investigation? Has Washington politics derailed the Alberton spill investigation? An air of nervous anticipation hangs heavily over the room in Missoula’s Boone and Crockett Club on a gray Saturday morning in early November. About 100 Alberton residents are gathered for their first opportunity to tell their stories on the record of how an April 1996 Montana Rail Link train derailment and mixed chemical spill changed their lives irrevocably. The magnitude of their stories and their expectations for these official proceedings can be measured by the stockpile of provisions laid out for the long day ahead: coffee urns, stacks of bagels, trays of cold cuts and a sheet cake that read, “Thank you and welcome, Bob Martin and staff.” Missoula Independent	By Cold Mountain Cold Rivers: Chemical sampling from the soil under the tank cars confirmed the presence of chlorinated organics. Garron Smith, Ph.D. University of Montana Environmental Chemist, said chlorophenols were identified by his lab equipment, and were created by the reaction of chlorine and potassium cresylate -- which converts to phenol in the process. Under questioning, he stated that dioxins are readily formed from phenols and chlorine, and that these reactants were present in the samplings. Contamination Scenarios: depending on heat and amount of available cresol dioxins could bioaccumulate through the food chain, and re-suspend from soil with subsequent re-deposition. Chlorophenols might contaminate the aquifer, or disperse through the adjacent Clark Fork River and its organisms.	Mineral County Report funded by NACCHO The Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center found chlorinated phenolics (2,4, 6-Trichlorophenol and 2,4 Dichlorophenol) and cresols in the contaminated soils... ATSDR's Public Health Statement said that 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol could evaporate into the air and change chemical composition when exposed to sunlight. The health effects of breathing 2,4,6-Trichloropheol are unknown. ATSDR evaluated the health of those community members affected by the spill. Roughly 80% of those interviewed by ATSDR reported at least one health problem associated with the chemicals.
Montana train accident derailed a small town by Greg Hanscom ...But the "long haul" didn’t prove to be long enough, say some residents. When they approached the railroad about recovering damages and lost wages, officials asked them to sign a release form before handing out money. The release freed the company of any liability for illness or damage caused by the spill, according to Randy Cox, MRL attorney. Many signed immediately, accepting settlement checks that residents say ranged from $100 to $5,000. "That looks like a big sum of money," says Sharon Leachman, who took $5,000 for her signature, "until you start paying medical bills after the fact. I lived there for three years and had no problems; then the spill happened and I’ve had a hell of a time with my health." High Country News	Cold Mountain Cold Rivers Press Release Ombudsman Hearing November 2000 More than four years after a Montana Rail Link train derailed releasing 133 tons of mixed-chemicals into the lower Clark Fork River Valley residents will finally have their day in court through the office of the National EPA Ombudsman, Robert Martin. (An Ombudsman is a government official, who investigates citizens' complaints against the government and other entities.) Ombudsman Martin initiated an investigation more than a year ago upon the request of numerous citizens and Senator Max Baucus. Since that time the Ombudsman has made several field visits to Alberton, MT. His willingness to take shots from all sides in the interest of pursuing environmental justice makes him a national treasure."
EPA watchdog looks into Alberton spill More than four years after the April 1996 derailment of a Montana Rail Link train spilled 133 tons of mixed chemicals near Alberton, victims of that accident are hoping that this weekend’s public hearing will finally shine a light on many of their unanswered questions. The hearing, requested by Sen. Max Baucus, will be administered by Robert Martin, national ombudsman for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The ombudsman is an independent governmental post created by Congress to serve as an internal watchdog and go-between for citizens who have problems dealing with EPA on Superfund or other hazardous materials incidents. “This is the culmination of about four and a half years of trying to get attention paid to what really happened,” says Hope Sieck of the Alberton Community Coalition for Environmental Health (ACCEH), a citizens’ advocacy group created after the accident. “It’ll be breaking through the fog and haze that surrounds these questions.” *Missoula Independent*	June 21, 2002, Written statement, to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee: "What has prevailed in Alberton, MT, are corporate politics, bad science, poor site management, and no accountability for millions of superfund dollars. The real-life human consequences of this malfeasance have been documented and witnessed everyday over the past seven years in our little town by chronic illness, blighted housing, boarded up business's, and dislocated families with the tab mostly being picked-up by the American tax payer every time someone's mother, father, or child, requires assistance from social services, disability, or full time care-taking. The true social and economic costs to our town and this nation for the broken lives of the chemically injured are staggering".
Mobile Chernobyls Toxic Trains May Be Rumbling Through Your Town ITEM: In the pre-dawn hours of April 11, 1996, along railroad tracks one mile west of the rural Montana community of Alberton, four Montana Rail Link tank cars suddenly derail. The largest mixed chemical release in railroad history--and the second biggest chlorine spill--sends a plume of more than 265,000 pounds of toxins into the air. Over 1,000 people are forced to flee their homes for what becomes a 17-day evacuation; one person dies, another 352 are injured. Residents still report respiratory ailments, memory loss, vision impairment, nerve damage and other lingering effects. *By Dick Russell, E Magazine.com*	Effects of Short-term, High Exposure to Chlorine Gas on Morphology and Physiology of Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii PDF file MAARTEN D. J. SCHREUDER and CAROL A. BREWER Based on the negative effects reported here, we expect greater susceptibility to drought stress and lower growth in trees exposed to chlorine gas. Studies over a time period of at least several years are needed to address multi-year influences of chlorine gas exposure on growth and mortality of forest trees.