Kentucky Injury Lawyer Blog

A CSX train in southwestern Louisville has derailed. A hazardous materials alert was issued in Monday morning after a strong chemical odor was detected. Residents within a one-mile radius of the derailment have been asked to evacuate their homes. A Level 3 HazMat alert has been issued.

MetroSafe spokeswoman Jody Duncan said the train derailed at about 6 a.m. EDT near the Ohio Valley Dragway on Dixie Highway and spilled multiple chemicals, including butadiene, hydrogen chloride, and hydrochloric acid, which can cause coughing, choking, inflammation of the nose, throat, and upper respiratory tract.

A Level 3 HazMat alert, the highest possible, has been issued for the area.

A previous post, covered the concerns about a coal ash pond at an LG&E plant in Trimble County, Kentucky. New concerns have arisen over LG&E's Cane Run Plant in Louisville, Kentucky.

Kentucky leads the nation with 53 coal ash ponds. If the levee of a coal ash pond breaks, it more than likely will result in an disaster for people, their property and the surrounding environment. Massive fish and wildlife deaths could occur.

Coal ash is the waste created from burning coal to produce energy. It contains toxic heavy metals like mercury, lead and aluminum.

The Cane Run site has been ranked as high hazard due to its proximity to a residential neighborhood. The residents have started raising concerns about fly ash, which is coal ash that has become airborne and traveled from the waste mounds to adjacent property. The residents believe that they have been breathing in the waste, and it could be harmful to their health.

Despite the danger that these coal ash ponds and piles present, they seem to get very little attention in the media. Hopefully, it does not take a catastrophe to shed light.