WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — The Biden administration says it could soon launch a formal evaluation of risks posed by vinyl chloride, the chemical that burned in a plume of toxic smoke after a train derailment in Ohio.

The Environmental Protection Agency is set to review risks posed by a handful of chemicals later this year, and is considering chemicals used for plastic production as a key benchmark.

Vinyl chloride is among a range of chemicals eligible for review, the agency said in a statement to The Associated Press. If selected, EPA would study vinyl chloride to determine whether it poses an "unreasonable risk to human health or the environment,'' a process that would take at least three years.

Environmental and public health activists cheered the development, saying EPA should have banned vinyl chloride years ago.

Vinyl chloride is a flammable gas used to make polyvinyl chloride plastic, better known as PVC. The chemical is found in plastic PVC pipes, as well as vinyl siding, packaging and a range of consumer goods, including furniture, car parts, shower curtains and toys used by children and pets.

Debate over vinyl chloride has simmered for years, but gained a new urgency after the Feb. 3 derailment of a 50-car Norfolk Southern freight train in East Palestine. Three days later, emergency crews released toxic vinyl chloride from five tank cars and burned it to keep them from exploding.

That sent a billowing plume of black smoke over the town near the Pennsylvania border and prompted the evacuation of about half of its 5,000 residents. Months later, residents are concerned about lingering impacts on health, even though state and federal officials say tests show the town’s air and water are safe.

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