Hazardous Materials Plague Two U.S. Towns

04:58

December 05, 2012

This photo released Nov. 27, 2012 by the Louisiana State Police shows piles of explosive powder stored at the Camp Minden industrial site that officials say were improperly housed by a company. (Louisiana State Police/AP)

Officials examine the area around a derailed freight train tank car in Paulsboro, N.J. on Nov. 30, 2012. (Mel Evans/AP)

More residents of Paulsboro, N.J. have been ordered to leave their homes because of air contamination from a train derailment last week that leaked a hazardous gas. So far, 200 homes have been evacuated and schools closed until next week because of air quality concerns.

Meanwhile, in northwest Louisiana, it will be the end of the week before all six million pounds of improperly stored explosive powder at the Explo Systems facility at Camp Minden are safely secured.

The powder was found spilling out of boxes crammed into buildings, after an October explosion prompted an inspection of the facility and led to the evacuation of the nearby town of Doyline.

Guest:

Kristi Johnston, reporter for the Shreveport Times. She tweets @KNJohnston.

This segment aired on December 5, 2012.