HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

BARRETT (2006) BUSINESS WEEK / 3/20/86

Hundreds of thousands or even a million could be killed if a bomb exploded on a poisonous

car rail spewing dangerous chemicals all over a city. It can happen here in the states because about 1.7 million rail cars pass through metropolitan areas every year. It can happen in big cities or small, but it can kill. At the moment, not a lot is being done.

In a country side of a small town in South Carolina, last year a train was derailed and a rail car hazardous material (hazmat) killed 9 and hospitalized 75. Is there anything that can be done to save the country from this travail?

BUSINESS WEEK suggests 4 strategies. They are: 1) re-route  trains carrying poison around

big cities 2) camouflage cars so that a rail car looks as if it is carrying corn syrup rather than chlorine 3) use gps systems to follow the dangerous rail cars and 4) encourage industries to use alternative chemicals that are less toxic.

These strategies or a variation of this approach could be very viable AFTER the first crisis. At the moment, too many things are going on (9/11,Katrina,Iraq, porous Mexican border, and a 9 trillion dollar debt.) However, this would suggest that plans are available after the crisis.