The Northeast Ohio Department of Environmental Protection has begun a voluntary air screening program for hazardous chemical contaminants, including vinyl chloride, carbon monoxide and phosgene
Weeks after a major train derailment and controlled explosion of chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, residents have been encouraged to return home. Many questions remain about how the train derailed and what the long-term effects could be.
Residents of East Palestine were later asked to evacuate out of precaution. On Monday, Feb. 6, crews conducted what officials called a “controlled release” of the hazardous chemicals which caused a large plume of black smoke.
Though an evacuation order was lifted last week, some residents refuse to return amid fears the water, air, soil and surfaces in the village of 5,000 are still not safe.
The company was negligent and demanded that it fund court-supervised medical screenings for serious illnesses caused by exposure to those chemicals, according to some business owners.
The EPA, with the Ohio National Guard and a Norfolk Southern contractor, also has collected air samples – checking for vinyl chloride, hydrogen chloride, carbon monoxide, phosgene and other compounds – in the East Palestine community, it had said. Air monitoring results posted Tuesday at the EPA’s website include more than a dozen instruments, each with four types of measures – and each stating its “screening level” had not been exceeded.
The agency added that vinyl chloride and hydrogen chloride have not been detected in the 291 homes that have been screened as of Monday. There are some homes still left in the voluntary indoor air screening program.
Breathing vinyl chloride can cause headaches and dizziness, which are health risks. People who have been exposed to the chemical for a long time may experience damage to their body.
When vinyl chloride is exposed in the environment, it breaks down from sunlight within a few days and changes into other chemicals such as formaldehyde. According to the Ohio Department of Health, a chemical that is spilled into soil or surface water will evaporate quickly into the air.
The EPA has been monitoring for several other hazardous chemicals, including phosgene and hydrogen chloride, which are released by burning vinyl chloride. Exposure to phosgene can cause eye irritation, dry burning throat and vomiting; while hydrogen chloride can irritate the skin, nose, eyes and throat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Ohio River Contaminant Contamination Observed by the Derailed Ohio Railroad Detector, Kendra Dannemiller, and L.C. DeWine
Karen Dannemiller is a professor at Ohio State University who studies indoor air quality, she said that people are going to be concerned about chronic exposure that comes at lower levels.
She believes that East Palestine residents should take part in the EPA’s at- home air screening due to the fact that indoor spaces can be an important point of exposure.
Dannemiller believes that residents should wash their items that absorb smells and wipe down the surfaces in areas that collect dust. She suggests vacuuming in small bursts to make sure that the air is free of pollutants.
“The suspected overheated wheel bearing has been collected and will be examined by engineers from the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C,” the statement said.
The wheelset will undergo a metallurgical examination as part of the overall investigation. Once the tank cars are decontaminated, investigators will return to finish their examination.
The NTSB said it is reviewing other videos, too, including footage from two local businesses reported by local media to show glowing or flames from the train prior to the derailment.
Because trains are crossing state lines in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine is concerned about the lack of information individual states have about what the rail cars are carrying.
The Ohio EPA says that nearly 500 yards of vinylchloride-impacted material has been removed from the vicinity of the derailed train.
The EPA said Tuesday that there were chemicals spilled into the local waterways that lead to the Ohio River, but that much of it was contained. The initial chemicals that were spilled into the waterway have made their way to the Ohio River, but officials are working to prevent them from passing onto water customers.
The governor of Ohio said that a chemical plume of butyl acrylate is located in the Ohio river and will be in Huntington, West Virginia, sometime tomorrow. Testing results indicate that the chemical is currently well below a level the CDC considers hazardous, he said. No vinyl chloride has been detected in the Ohio River, he added, though agencies will continue sampling river water out of an abundance of caution.
The chemicals are a “contaminant plume” that the Ohio EPA and other agencies have been tracking in real time. It’s believed to be moving about a mile an hour, Kavalec said.
The “tracking allows for potential closing of drinking water intakes to allow the majority of the chemicals to pass. This strategy, along with drinking water treatment…are both effective at addressing these contaminants and helps ensure the safety of the drinking water supplies,” Kavalec said, adding that they’re pretty confident that the “low levels” of contaminants that remain are not getting passed onto customers.
Still, authorities are strongly recommending that people in the area use bottled water for drinking, especially if their water is from a private source, such as a well.
Ohio’s Waterways Are Leaky: An Emergency Response to a Chemical Spike Involving a 500-Year-Old Power Plant
About 3,500 fish across 12 different species have died in Ohio’s waterways following the spill, Mary Mertz, the director of Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources, said.
The estimation of the dead fish came after initial testing and sampling by the state agency, Mertz said. The number of fish killed didn’t seem to have gone up after the accident.
Kurt Kollar, the on-scene coordinating for the Ohio EPA’s Office of Emergency Response, said some of the pits were 700 feet long and 8 feet deep.
The health director for Ohio said Tuesday air quality does not seem to be the source of headaches and sore throats among people or deaths of animals in the area.
necdotes are challenging because they are anecdotes. Everything that we have gathered thus far is pointing toward very low measurements.
America’s railroads move a lot of chemicals. Freight trains moved 2.2 million carloads of chemicals in 2021, according to the Association of American Railroads.
“It’s the mode of transportation that’s capable of moving bulk quantities,” Federal Rail Administration spokesperson Warren Flatau told CNN. The only way to move these commodities is to truck over the highways which are not looked upon favorably.
However, the USA Today analysis found that other forms of transportation are much more leak-prone: “for every rail leak reported last year, there were two involving planes and 67 on highways.”
A researcher and expert at Northeastern University said there was an issue with the risk of derailing and explosion. “If natural gas were to have a derailment like the vinyl chloride, it would be devastating.”
Water, Soil and Water Tests During a Train Spill: The Ohio EPA says it isn’t worried about the Volatile Organic Compounds
Since the controlled explosion of rail cars with chemicals inside, the Ohio EPA has been conducting air, soil and water tests.
Whelton told CNN that the EPA should continue to monitor the levels of semi-volatile organic compounds, which can be found in waterways after a train wreck.
“Because of their size, they don’t go in the air as easily,” Whelton said. They like to stick to soil and other materials. The question is, how contaminated is the creek and what will they do to remediate that?”
Anecdotal reports of pets and chickens dying have not yet been confirmed by officials. The director of Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday there was no evidence that non-aquatic species had been affected by the spill.
Crews have excavated and removed nearly 500 cubic yards of “vinyl chloride-impacted material” including soil, according to Kurt Kollar, the on-scene coordinator for the Ohio EPA’s Office of Emergency Response. The ditches are being blocked by the EPA to make sure that there isn’t more water pollution.
As for drinking water, Kavalec said water treatment facilities should be able to remove the remaining low levels of volatile organic compounds in the water, and that the water will eventually be safe to drink.
The chemicals officials recommend should be broken down with water treatment and aeration, but environmental officials also have to test for another class of chemicals used to put out chemical fires.
The Transportation of the Plaintiff’s Baby to a Community Meeting in the Presence of an Overcome Chlorine Restinction
An overwhelming stench of chlorine filled the air this week where Nathen Velez and his wife had been raising their two children, quickly burning his throat and eyes.
Representatives from Norfolk Southern planned to attend a meeting on Wednesday night to provide information to people about how they are handling the chemical crisis. The company backed out because of threats to its employees.
The company said in a release that it has become increasingly concerned about the physical threat their employees and members of the community face due to the increased likelihood of outside parties.
Company officials wanted to join local leaders Wednesday evening to give an update on the steps they’re taking to clean up the accident site and provide the latest results from air and water testing.
A community meeting still was expected to go forward Wednesday evening, and plaintiff’s attorneys invited residents to meet with them beforehand to discuss the derailment’s impact.
“Is it OK to still be here? Are my kids safe? Are the people safe? Is the future of this community safe?” Glavan told reporters that he is from East Palestine. “We all know the severity of that question, and what’s at stake. Some people think they are downplaying; some people don’t think so – let’s find out.”
“My wife is a nurse and is not taking any chances exposing us and our two young children to whatever is now in our town,” Velez wrote on Facebook. “The risk and anxiety of trying to live in our own home again is not worth it.”
EPA Action Plan for West Palestine Train Derailment, East Palestine Resident Ben Ratner, Melts Concern over New Results from the Environmental Protection Agency
The state’s Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that the latest tests show water from five wells supplying the village’s drinking water are free from contaminants. But the EPA also is recommending testing for private water wells because they are closer to the surface.
Nevertheless, worrying signs continue to emerge, including a newly public document that says potentially contaminated soil has not yet been removed from the site – a critical step experts say should be completed quickly so that toxic materials are not further dispersed into the environment and groundwater.
Kurt Kohler of the Ohio EPA said February 8 that after the emergency response, the Ohio EPA will keep an eye on the long-term Cleanup of these kinds of spill. The federal EPA will do everything it can to help the community, Administrator Michael Regan said Tuesday.
In a document sent to the EPA and recently made public by the agency, a company contracted by Norfolk Southern for cleanup efforts did not list soil removal among completed activities.
Richard Peltier said in an email to CNN that contaminated soil will continue to suck contaminants into the surrounding ground. There is a flood of new contaminants when it rains.
CNN asked Norfolk Southern if it had filled in areas of contaminated soil and chemicals so it could reopen the rail line.
East Palestine resident Ben Ratner and his family worry about the longer-term risks that environmental officials are only beginning to assess, he told CNN this week.
Ben, the owner of a cafe in several towns, says that he and his brothers are still not sure what to think and feel about the train wreck.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/15/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-residents/index.html
The Role of High-Level Environmental Pollution in Dealing With Old and New Problems, As Revealed by Velez and Shaw
“It’s hard to make an investment in something like that or even feel good about paying our mortgage whenever there might not be any value to those things in the future,” he said. It’s difficult to come to grips with.
Norfolk Southern said it is creating a fund to help the community of 4,700 people, while continuing work like removing spilled contaminants from the ground and streams.
We will be judged by our actions. We are cleaning up the site in an environmentally responsible way, reimbursing residents affected by the derailment, and working with members of the community to identify what is needed to help East Palestine recover and thrive,” Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw said in a release.
Velez and his family are temporarily staying in rentals away from the town. He told CNN that when he was in the town, there was achemical odor that burned his eyes and throat.
State and federal officials have assured the public that air monitoring isn’t detecting any remaining concerns despite the misinformation spread online. It is possible for even low levels of pollutants that aren’t considered hazardous to create symptoms such as headaches.
As to odor, residents “in the area and tens of miles away may smell odors coming from the site,” Ohio EPA spokesperson James Lee told CNN on Wednesday. Some of the substances involved have a low odor threshold. This means people may smell these contaminants at levels much lower than what is considered hazardous.”
Water Use in America: Ben Ratner’s Deal with Themselves and Their Implications for the Public Health and Public Works
The Ratner family is limiting its water use because of unknown affects, Ben Ratner said. Velez wrote that turning the water on or giving his daughter a bath could be hazardous.
He and his family have been Airbnb-hopping 30 minutes from their home since they evacuated, but rental options and their finances are running out, he said, and a friend set up a GoFundMe to help the family.
“Unfortunately, many of us residents are stuck in the same situation and the sad truth is that there is no answer,” he wrote. Leaving and paying a mortgage on a potentially worthless home is the only viable solution.
A group of people in East Palestine, Ohio, gathered at a school gym to seek out information about the dangers of toxic chemicals that were burned off after the train wreck.
Hundreds of worried people gathered to hear state officials tell them — as they did earlier in the day — that testing so far has shown local air is safe to breathe and to promise that safety testing of the air and water would continue.
The residents asked many questions about health hazard and the railroad operator, Norfolk Southern, did not attend the gathering, citing safety concerns for its staff.
Wednesday’s meeting came amid continuing concerns about the huge plumes of smoke, persisting odors, questions over potential threats to pets and wild animals, any potential impact on drinking water and what was happening with cleanup.
Why are they hush-hush? When the railroad operator of the East Palestine train wreck was declared declared clean, EPA spokesperson Michael S. Regan told CNN
“Why are they being hush-hush?” Kathy Dyke said of the railroad. “They’re not out here supporting, they’re not out here answering questions. We couldn’t figure out what was on the train for three days.
Residents in and around East Palestine, located near the Pennsylvania state line, said they wanted assistance navigating the financial help the railroad offered hundreds of families who evacuated, and they were unsure if it would be held responsible for what happened.
“The pollution, which continues to contaminate the area around East Palestine, created a nuisance, damage to natural resources and caused environmental harm,” Yost said in a letter to the company.
The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency went to East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday and said that they would hold the train company Norfolk Southern accountable for its role in the hazardous chemicals train wreck.
Speaking to CNN’s Jason Carroll Thursday morning, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said the agency has full authority to use its enforcement capabilities over the crisis.
“We issued a notice of accountability to the company, and they’ve signed that, indicating that they will be responsible for the cleanup,” Regan told CNN. “But as this investigation continues, and as new facts arise, let me just say, and be very clear, I will use the full enforcement authority of this agency, and so will the federal government, to be sure that this company is held accountable.”
Despite the assurances, a chemical odor lingered days afterward and officials estimate thousands of fish were killed by contamination washing down streams and rivers, fueling residents’ concerns about water and air safety.
People from East Palestine went to a town hall to discuss their problems. The train operator had agreed to attend but had to pull out due to safety concerns.
The town was inspected by Regan and he observed some of the problems that had arisen after the train wreck. He said the state has primary responsibility over the scene but the EPA was prepared to partner and provide necessary resources.
The Ohio State Railroad Derailment Authority (OHODA) – A State of the Art, a State of Emergency Management, and Public Health Concerns
Meanwhile, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday he has requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention immediately send medical experts to East Palestine to evaluate and counsel community members with questions or health symptoms.
In anticipation of rainfall, emergency response teams have plans in place to prevent contaminants not yet removed from the derailment site from washing into local waterways during the storms, DeWine said in a statement.
DeWine said the Ohio Department of Agriculture reassured Ohioans that the food they get from the farmers is safe and the risk to livestock is low.
The decision by crews to conduct controlled detonations on some of the tanks that have the potential to kill at a high level and increase cancer risk spurring residents to ask about safety.
“I need help,” Conaway told reporters Wednesday night. “I have the village on my back, and I’ll do whatever it takes … to make this right. I’m not leaving, I’m not going anywhere.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-thursday/index.html
Investigating the Absence of the Ohio Electric Train Derailment Center Meeting on Wednesday Night at 6:00 a.m. (Extended Abstract)
I want the community to know that we hear you and we will get to the bottom of this, and that is what I want them to know. All of the volatile organic chemicals are being tested. We’re testing for everything that was on that train. So we feel comfortable that we are casting a net wide enough to present a picture that will protect the community.”
Nate Velez, who said he lives less than half a mile from where the train derailed, told CNN on Wednesday night that the company’s absence from the meeting was “a slap in the face.”
“Most people did not want to go home, but they had to. So, all the people who had to go home were complaining of smells, pains in their throat, headaches, sickness,” he said. “I have gone back a few times, and the smell does make you sick. It hurts your head.
I was really disappointed that they didn’t show up at the town hall meeting. The public deserves more transparency, he said. “The public deserves to have the latest information. I promise you that the federal government will hold this company accountable.
Jami Cozza’s family has lived in East Palestine for generations near the contaminated creek, but right now she is staying at a hotel paid for by the railroad due to toxicity from the derailment.
She said that the railroad company told her that she was safe to return home after the air testing. However, she insisted the railroad company run soil and water tests, and only then did a toxicologist deem her house unsafe.
I would have been sitting in that house right now, if I had not used my voice, if they had said it was safe.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-thursday/index.html
Do children live in a room with a dark veil? A woman in Perseus’ frustrations says: “You see me, I don’t see them”
She said she was worried about how many of the children were laying in their beds in East Palestine. I don’t trust them.