Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Safety

Acrylonitrile Fumes Kill One In Belgium

by Alex Scott
May 13, 2013 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 91, Issue 19

[+]Enlarge
Credit: Benoit Doppagne/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom
The derailed train carried acrylonitrile and butadiene.
An aerial view of a train derailement in Wetteren, Belgium. Cars are cast off to the side of the tracks and zig-zagging across the tracks. A large plume of smoke rises from an open fire between two of the cars.
Credit: Benoit Doppagne/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom
The derailed train carried acrylonitrile and butadiene.

A 64-year-old man died and 116 other nearby residents were taken to the hospital as a result of exposure to fumes from burning acrylonitrile after a train carrying the chemical derailed and caught fire near Wetteren, Belgium. Hydrogen cyanide is generated when acrylonitrile burns. The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday, May 4, as the train was traveling from the Netherlands to the port of Ghent in Belgium. The acrylonitrile was made by DSM and was being transported in tank cars leased by the firm. “We deeply regret the incident,” DSM says. Authorities are still investigating the cause.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.