Train Derailment Releases Noxious Gas

About one-third of the 15,000 residents of Scottsbluff, Neb., were ordered to evacuate after a train derailment released a cloud of noxious gas. The derailment sent 18 cars of a 79-car freight train off the track. Three of the cars were torn open, spilling about 80,000 gallons of the chemical benzene, Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman Steve Forsberg said. Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon found in gasoline, diesel and other fuels. Short-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness and unconsciousness; long-term exposure can do physical damage. No injuries from the derailment or the fumes were reported.