PA Fifth in the Nation in Hazardous Spills

February 18, 2014
By Natasha Khan

Only 2 percent serious

Every year, thousands of hazardous materials move through or are stored in Pennsylvania. They may be piled up close to your house, rumbling through your neighborhood on a railcar or transported in a semi-truck you pass on the highway.

We don’t often think of these chemicals—until there’s an accident. In January and February, a deluge of events has reminded us of the consequences of chemical spills.

The most recent scare came when a train of cars carrying crude oil derailed last week in Westmoreland County. There were no injuries. However, when several thousand gallons of crude oil spilled, it became the largest such spill in the state since 1990, according to federal records.

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