Railroads are not required to disclose to localities the hazardous chemicals they transport

While railroad companies may transport hazardous materials through thousands U.S. communities every day, those communities are not entitled to know what materials may be on the train. Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Warren Flatau said only the railroads are required to know what is in the cars they are shipping, which means local emergency workers, "who would respond to a leak, spill or fire, have no knowledge of what's being transported on those cars until an accident happens," Julia Hunter of Gannett News Service reports. Railroad authorities say keeping the contents of trains secret is a matter of national security.

"Advocates for the public argue the rail cars are clearly marked, and if terrorists wanted to find a car full of hazardous material, they easily could," Hunter writes. Fred Millar, a Washington-based consultant on hazardous-material transportation issues and national security, said, "They think that having the public know about the shipments of these cargoes is somehow a security breach. That is absolutely ridiculous. ... These are gigantic tank cars with placards on the side going to and from the same places. The only people being kept in the dark are the American public."

FRA said local officials could be provided a list of top chemicals transported on nearby railroads on an annual basis, but the agency doesn't release specific information. Binghamton, N. Y., Asst. Fire Chief Richard Allen Jr. said, "Because the response to each chemical is different, and the wrong response can exacerbate the situation ... teams could benefit from newly developed equipment that helps haz-mat teams distinguish what they're dealing with," Hunter writes. However, such equipment costs roughly $40,000, out of the price range of many local emergency departments. (Read more)