Risk Society on Rails: Area Deprivation and Train Accidents Involving Hazardous Materials

Abstract

Railways are embedded in the American imagination and have long been a core component of industrialization and economic productivity. However, train accidents, particularly accidents involving cars carrying hazardous materials (hazmat), can expose nearby residents to environmental and health hazards, and consequently have deep implications for the production of environmental injustice. This article considers the relationship between train accidents: the total number of hazmat cars involved, hazmat cars damaged, and hazmat released from cars, with area deprivation across U.S. counties from 2009 to 2022. The results show that area deprivation is an important predictor of train accidents. Counties with higher financial strength experienced fewer hazmat-involved train accidents, including cars that released hazmat, suggesting train accidents do produce economic injustice.