A new public health threat is looming in the form of rapidly growing rail transport of crude oil ("Md. lawmakers call for crude oil risk assessment, more railroad transparency," Feb. 19). The reasons for public health advocates to take notice are several.
Crude oil is highly volatile and fiery train accidents involving crude oil shipments took place four times in the last month. Also, about 3 percent of the product evaporates in transit which means benzene and other toxic air pollutants are being released. People living near rail yards may be exposed to increased levels of carcinogenic air pollutants if trains full of crude are passing by or standing still for a few hours in their backyards. That's in addition to the risk of explosion and fire.
And what about the greenhouse gas impact of processing or burning this very dirty crude oil when these shipments reach their destinations? That's the biggest health threat of all — a reckless endangerment of health and safety as our climate shifts and weather becomes increasingly disruptive. These are some of the excellent reasons why Maryland should conduct a study of crude oil rail transport as proposed by House Bill 1073 before the Maryland legislature right now.
Rebecca Ruggles, Baltimore
The writer is director of the Maryland Environmental Health Network.