SOUTH CAROLINA MILL TOWN GREATLY AFFECTED , BUT SURVIVED DEADLY CHLORINE GAS RELEASE TEN YEARS AGO
Posted: Jan 04, 2015 10:04 AM EST Updated: Jan 04, 2015 10:05 AM ESTAssociated Press
GRANITEVILLE, S.C. (AP) - Ten years ago, a train crashed in Graniteville and a toxic cloud of chlorine gas settled over the small town. Plenty of people who were working at the nearby mill say they are still struggling to breathe.
The crash happened when a train heading 47 mph through town made it to a switch that hadn't been turned the right way. The train went on to a spur that served Avondale Mills and crashed into a parked train.
Nine people died when 60 tons of chlorine gas escaped from a damaged tanker car.
A federal study has found 40 percent of the 300 workers at the mill tested in the decade since the crash have a significant decrease in the amount of air they can take in their lungs.