We begin Part III The Long Haul. As Lucinda Hodges and others try to live in a town that makes them sick, she reconstitutes ACE into ACCEH—the Alberton Community Coalition for Environmental Health—and begins a letter-writing campaign to government agencies to seek help. Pictured: ACCEH ad in the Missoulian at Christmas 1996.…

Despite removal of the contaminated soil, Lucinda Hodges and other spill victims are unable to tolerate returning to their Alberton area homes. Meanwhile, Dr. Kaye Kilburn plans a neurological study on the Alberton spill victims. Pictured: the Hodges' family home on Railroad Street in Alberton.Di Ron Scholl

Three weeks after residents are allowed back to Alberton, the contaminated soil is finally removed, and many people report being re-exposed during the removal. Meanwhile, some residents continue to stay away, afraid of returning home. Pictured: the potassium cresylate tank, staged in Missoula.Di Ron Scholl

While many residents complain of chemical exposures that make them ill upon returning home, health officials show no concern, claiming the area is safe. We also look at modeling withheld from residents, which shows how severely the Alberton area was exposed to chlorine during the spill. Pictured: map of 'bronzed' areas due to chlorine.…

Many residents returning home after the Alberton area is declared safe for reentry continue to report odors and illness. Pictured: map of the Alberton areaDi Ron Scholl

Many residents return to an environment and homes that make them ill, and begin to understand that chronic chemical sensitivity will follow them wherever they go. Pictured: the staged contaminated soil.Di Ron Scholl

After 17 days, Alberton is 'open for business', but many residents remain wary of returning to a home they fear is contaminated and threatens their health. Pictured: Tank Car 3, battered and finally empty.Di Ron Scholl

While officials still struggle with Tank Car 3 of liquid chlorine, they move forward with allowing residents to return home, despite a promise that the car would be completely empty. Pictured: aerial view of the wreck siteDi Ron Scholl

Officials declare two of the four criteria to allow reentry satisfied, with a 100% certainty that no chlorinated compounds migrated offsite, and the claim that the white dust was not harmful, even though officials say they cannot find any white dust to test. Pictured: Workers in SCBA near Tank 3 of chlorine.…

Untrusting of official reassurances for long-term health and for the safety of the Alberton area, and angry with attempts to shut down public questions at meetings, some residents band together to form ACE, the Alberton Community Evacuees. Pictured: the infamous white dust on the Kryszko family VCR, a dust Olympus claimed they couldn't find to samp…

The Techs struggle again and again to patch the leaking chlorine car, even as a big spike causes Forward Ops to evacuate. Meanwhile, officials at the evacuee meetings hold a vote on whether to allow public questions. Pictured: Evacuees vote NO on allowing public questions.Di Ron Scholl

Health officials consider the criteria for allowing eventual reentry for residents, and decide that hypersensitivity is not a concern. Pictured: the leaking chlorine tank and its leaky patch.Di Ron Scholl

Following the news that chlorinated chemicals were created in the mixing of chlorine and the potassium cresylate, over a week after the spill, the techs begin to tackle how to patch Car three, which continues to leak deadly chlorine gas. Pictured: Glen Giles gives her testimony at an evacuee meeting, as Lucinda Hodges looks on.…

Chemist Garon Smith and health officials determine the nature of chlorinated chemicals created in the mixing of chlorine and the potassium cresylate. This unwelcome news adds a new layer of concern for spill victims worried about their health and safety. Pictured: chlorinated compounds found by Smith.…

Officials continue to try and control the leaking tank of chlorine gas as well as open questions during the evacuee meetings. Pictured: the revealed breach in the chlorine tank, the largest in US railroad history.Di Ron Scholl

As the techs work on transferring chlorine, a rain bomb releases a fresh cloud of gas, sending the western roadblock scrambling to safety. Meanwhile, officials try to control open questions during the public evacuee meetings. Pictured: a lethal spike measured at over 1400 ppmDi Ron Scholl

Residents continue to question assurances of safety, concerned about their long-term health and the chemical smells in the Alberton area during visits. Pictured: decon station near the spill site (EPA photo)Di Ron Scholl

More residents push back against assurances of safety, increasingly concerned about their long-term health and the chemical smells in the Alberton area during visits. Pictured: Frenchtown Fire Station 5 near Petty Creek (Paul Manson photo)Di Ron Scholl

As the Techs consider how to tackle the remaining 60,000lbs of liquid chlorine in Car 3, health officials try to allay residents’ growing concerns about their health. Pictured: schematic for chlorine offloading.Di Ron Scholl

One last discovery is made three days after the spill: an entire neighborhood has been left behind in the Exclusion Zone. Pictured: Sawmill Gulch/Cyr to the SpillDi Ron Scholl

On Day 4 of the spill, the EPA finally has access to the spill site, in what becomes a day of disturbing discoveries. Pictured: the EPA at the spill site, investigating potassium cresylate in the ditch.Di Ron Scholl

In the early days of the Alberton chlorine spill, the Environmental Protection Agency is denied access to the spill site by incident command and Montana officials. But why? Pictured: Tim Murphy (MT SERC) and Jim Greene (MT DES)Di Ron Scholl

Residents visit the Exclusion Zone to feed or rescue animals left behind, with some reporting that the visit makes them ill. Pictured: Horses left behind in the Hot Zone, attended by responders.Di Ron Scholl

The night after the spill, people in the west end of the Evacuation zone complain of smells and symptoms, but they remain not evacuated. And while responders prepare for a long evacuation, residents grow concerned over animals left behind. Pictured: schematic of tank carsDi Ron Scholl

In the aftermath of the toxic crisis of April 11, responders take a breath to assess the day, and we take pause to evaluate the response. Pictured: Map of the Exclusion ZoneDi Ron Scholl

The Missoula Hazmat team finally enters the spill site, along with a team from MRL, who have already been there. Meanwhile, the gas still drifts, causing more late evacuations. Pictured: site illustration of tank carsDi Ron Scholl

The Missoula Hazmat team conducts a recon to find the spill site, still not knowing its location; meanwhile, the gas continues to expand to the east, prompting more evacuations. Pictured: gas cloud near Alberton, Montana.Di Ron Scholl

The conclusion of the initial evacuation of the Alberton area from a toxic chlorine gas release. Pictured: Cyr to FrenchtownDi Ron Scholl

A cloud of toxic gas overcomes the town of Alberton, Montana. Pictured: Spill to Petty CreekDi Ron Scholl

In the first hour of the spill, 911 is overwhelmed and emergency responders are sent to the wrong location. Pictured: Petty Creek to HusonDi Ron Scholl

We take a brief pause for some backstory. First, we drop in on a resident of Alberton, Lucinda Hodges, who has found a life for her family amid the history and beauty of western Montana—a life abruptly threatened by a chlorine gas cloud. We also examine how well responders are prepared for a worst-case scenario.…

The chemistry of liquid chlorine converting to a gas dictates how the gas spreads, and drivers on the highway are among the first to encounter the toxic cloud. Pictured: Jack Rabbit II test. Photograph courtesy Andrew Byrnes, Utah Valley University, 2016.Di Ron Scholl

When their freight train crashes outside Alberton, Montana, two Montana Rail Link engineers, as well as transients on the train, struggle for their lives in the face of a massive cloud of chlorine gas. Pictured: Spill to Petty CreekDi ronlouisscholl

A short intro to the podcast of my two-book series GASSED: The True Story of a Toxic Train Derailment, which documents the 1996 Alberton, Montana, USA, train derailment and chemical spill. The catastrophe resulted in the largest release of chlorine gas in US railroad history, and injured hundreds, both acutely and chronically.…