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Questions: Answers needed in chlorine leak

Axiall Corp. bore some responsibility for the massive leak of chlorine that occurred in August at its plant in southern Marshall County. That seems clear.

It was to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA officials have fined Axiall, which was acquired by Westlake Chemical Corp. in September, $25,500 for workplace safety violations.

That should not be an end to the matter.

Federal investigators say the leak occurred when a crack opened in a railcar at the plant. The chemical cloud that spewed out of the tank car forced hundreds of people to evacuate homes and businesses in both West Virginia and Ohio. Fortunately, only a few injuries were reported.

What is disturbing about the situation is that the tank car had undergone an inspection and repair work not long before the leak occurred. Yet investigators found corrosion and what they called “pre-existing cracks” in the tank.

In addition to the OSHA probe, the National Transportation Safety Board looked into the accident. NTSB investigators visited both the local plant and a tank car repair facility in DuBois, Pa.

Among questions that need to be answered is how a disastrous failure of the tank car could have occurred not long after it was allegedly inspected and repaired. Can companies that ship dangerous chemicals rely on the inspection and repair process?

More important, can the public?

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