AZ Train Derailment Spilled a Hazard to Your Health

When a 150-car freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio in February, it got our attention.

The toxic chemicals released to the area have been cause for concern as railway officials, politicians and citizens all work at cross purposes, pointing fingers and trying to get answers, while giving non-answers, and basically raveling and raving over the potential ecological disaster going down in a quiet little part of a quiet little state.

Internet Derailment?

One fact of our modern, connected world is that trends seem to spread faster than wildfire on a windy day.

News agencies, the internet, and social media all fan the flames of whatever the cause celeb of the moment seems to be. As the media quickly learn what we're worried about, they feed us story after story.

When I read the headlines reporting yet another train derailment, this time in Mohave County, Arizona, I was concerned. What chemical was spilled this time? What's the impact? The questions swirled.

On March 15th, AZFamily.com first broke with the headline, "Train derailment in Northern Arizona. Has hazmat on board, but no info about spillage yet." I found this thread on Reddit (r/Arizona), where the original title was preserved. I mention this because when I clicked the link, the new title was quite a bit different.

Retcon or Media Correction?

As details were learned about the potentially hazardous chemicals on board the train, it seems the story was retconned or changed for retroactive continuity.

Sidenote: In case you're not familiar, the term retcon comes from the comic book and sci-fi world. Merriam-Webster says this word refers to, "a literary device in which the form or content of a previously established narrative is changed."

How Can the REAL WORLD Change?

But we're living in the real world - how can this happen? We're also living in a digital world, and the rush to bring the latest information in a 24-hour news cycle means sometimes news outlets update their original stories as new, more relevant information comes forward.

So, what toxic chemical spilled in northern Arizona on March 15th? As reported by Fox10PhoenixNews.com, the "chemical" was none other than corn syrup - that cheap, sugar substitute we've been told to avoid as much as possible by every nutritionist in the 21st century.

So yes, a kinda harmful chemical - from a dietary standpoint, anyway - was spilled in the Arizona train derailment. Our arteries will be better for it and it's important to note that no one was hurt in the train accident, either.

Although our wallets may suffer a little if the price of cookies goes up as a result!