The evacuation order for East Palestine, Ohio, lifted in five days after the derailment of a train carried out a hazardous chemical cross-section
The evacuated residents can return to East Palestine, where the toxic chemicals that were burned when a train derailed five days ago are no longer present.
The evacuation order was lifted February 8, five days after the derailment, after earlier air and water sample results led officials to deem the area safe.
The EPA said it had screened the indoor air at more than 350 homes in the area. The agency has also screened the air of local schools and a library. It has tested the local waterways a number of times after the pollution was released.
He said that the air monitoring system was robust and there was nothing that would cause a health concern. During a controlled burn outside of the site, Monitors found toxins in the air, but other samples outside the area did not.
Further spurring residents’ questions about safety were crews’ decision to conduct controlled detonations February 6 of some of the tanks that were carrying toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride that has the potential to kill at high levels and increase cancer risk.
The leader of the Ohio National Guard said that members would wear protective gear and take readings in homes to make sure the air was safe while the order was in place.
Norfolk Southern has been notified of the incident that burned toxic vinyl chloride from a train accident on the east outskirts of East Palestine
There were no injuries when about 50 cars derailed and caught fire on the outskirts of East Palestine. As fears grew about a potential explosion, officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast had the area evacuated and opted to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke billowing into the sky again.
We will be judged by what we do. Norfolk Southern is working with the East Palestine community to understand what is needed to help the area recover from the train accident.
Norfolk Southern did not have to notify state officials about what chemicals their rail cars contained, because they were not a high hazardous material train, according to DeWine.
There were more than a few reports of people and animals getting sick, as well as a strong odor in the town, since the order was lifted on Wednesday.
The agency said on Sunday that it had not found any concerns about the air quality in East Palestine.
The home was cleared for the harmful substances vocs, he said. And so far, no chemical detections were identified in the air of 291 homes screened by the EPA for hazardous chemicals including vinyl chloride and hydrogen chloride, it said in a Monday news update, with schools and a library also screened and 181 more homes to go.
Breathing or drinking vinyl chloride can cause a number of health risks including dizziness and headaches. People who breathe the chemical over many years may also experience liver damage.
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. When it is spilled in soil or surface water, the chemical evaporates into the air quickly, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
The EPA has monitored phosgene and hydrogen chloride which can be released by burning vinyl chloride. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says both phosgene and hydrogen chloride can cause eye irritation and dry burning throat.
Indoor air quality at East Palestine, PA: Plans for EPA’s air screening and the investigation of an underheated wheel bearing with the NTSB Materials Laboratory
“Now that we are entering into a longer term phase of this, people are going to be concerned about the long-term chronic exposure that comes at lower levels,” said Karen Dannemiller, a professor at The Ohio State University who studies indoor air quality.
She urged East Palestine residents to participate in the EPA’s air screening as indoor spaces can be an important point of exposure.
Dannemiller recommends residents to wipe down surfaces, especially areas that collect dust, and wash items that absorb smells, such as bed sheets and curtains. She says to be careful with vacuuming because it may be hard to prevent the contaminants from moving into the air.
The wheel bearing that is suspected of being overheated will be examined by engineers from the NTSB Materials Laboratory in D.C.
The wheelset will be examined as part of the investigation. Investigators will return to complete an examination of the tank cars once they are fully decontaminated, the NTSB said.
The video from two local businesses was reported by local media to show a train that was on fire before it derailed.
The cause of the explosion was a concern for authorities who worried about a widespread, deadly explosion. But crews managed controlled detonations to release the chemical, which can kill quickly at high levels and increase cancer risk. There was a hazardous substance in the trench that was burned away.
A Statewide Analysis of the Ohio River Contaminants and a Statewide Public Well Approach to the Cleveland-O Ohio Railroad Derailment
If that’s correct, he said, “Congress needs to take a look at how these things are handled. When there are trains carrying hazardous material in the state of Ohio, we should know.
In an update Tuesday, investigators said no vinyl chloride has been detected in any of the down-gradient waterways near the train derailment, and environmental teams are aerating waterways near the site.
Tiffany Kavalec said that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is certain that the contaminants are contained in some waterways.
The governor said a chemical plume of butyl acrylate in the Ohio River is currently located near Gallipolis, Ohio, and will be near 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 tracked in real time by the Ohio EPA and other agencies. Kavalec said it was moving about a mile an hour.
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.
State officials have repeatedly said water from the municipal system – which is pulled from five deep wells covered by solid steel casing – is safe to drink. According to the governor’s office, the EPA encouraged people who use private wells to get the water tested.
On the environmental impact of a railroad derailment in Ohio, and the real issue is the risk of explosions, spills and spills
Some 3,500 fish, mostly small ones like minnows and darters, were killed by the spill in seven miles of streams in Ohio.
Mertz said the estimation of the dead fish came from initial testing and sampling by the state agency. There does not appear to have been an increase in the number of fish killed since the first couple of days following the derailment.
Kurt Korlar, the on-scene coordinating officer for the Ohio EPA’s Office of Emergency Response said some of the pits of dirt measure 700 feet long and 8 feet deep.
Dr. Erin Haynes, an environmental health scientist with the University of Kentucky, told CNN last week that it will be important to monitor people’s health and the environment around the train derailment for some time to come since health impacts may not emerge until later.
“Anecdotes are challenging because they’re anecdotes,” Vanderhoff said. “Everything that we’ve gathered thus far is really pointing toward very low measurements, if at all.”
This is in large part because railroads are considered the safest mode of transportation to carry large amounts of hazardous materials, including chemicals, for long distances across the country, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
“It’s the mode of transportation that’s capable of moving bulk quantities,” Federal Rail Administration spokesperson Warren Flatau told CNN. “These commodities cannot be moved by pipeline; the alternative is moving them by truck over the highways, which is not looked upon favorably.”
Even though rail is a safer way to transport hazardous materials, spills and leaks still happen.
“The real issue is the risk of derailment and explosion,” Kimberly Garrett, a researcher and PFAS expert at Northeastern University. “If natural gas were to have a derailment like the vinyl chloride, it would be devastating.”
Environmental Protection and Conservation Laws after the Derailment of a Rail Car in Cleveland, Ohio: The Effect of Volatile Organic Compounds on Air Quality and Waterways
The EPA will continue to monitor the air quality while work is done to get rid of the remaining rail cars.
Whelton told CNN the EPA should also continue to monitor semi-volatile organic compounds, which are more persistent and detected in local waterways after the derailment.
“Because of their size, they don’t go in the air as easily,” Whelton said. They like sticking to soils and other materials. They need to know how contaminated the creek is and how they will clean it up.
Anecdotal reports of pets and chickens dying have not yet been confirmed by officials. The director of Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources said that there is no evidence that non-aquatic species have 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 EPA is also blocking off ditches around the contaminated dirt so that it doesn’t contaminate more water.
The water will eventually be safe to drink, if water treatment facilities are able to remove the low levels of volatile organic compounds in the water.
Whereas other chemicals can break down with exposure to sunlight, air and water, “PFAS don’t break down naturally,” Garrett told CNN. Some of the chemicals have been linked to cancer.
The impact of the June 23rd Airborne Chemical Emergency Medical Evasion (ICECASE) spill on the lives of Nathen Velez and his wife
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 of the train’s operator, Norfolk Southern, planned on attending Wednesday night’s meeting to provide information to residents on how they’re responding to the chemical crisis. The company backed out because of threats to its employees.
“We have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties,” the company said in a release.
Company officials had hoped to join local leaders Wednesday evening to update the community on the steps they are taking to “safely clean up the accident site and to provide the latest results from ongoing water and air testing,” the release reads.
A community meeting was to go on as planned Wednesday evening and residents were told to meet their attorneys prior to the meeting to discuss the impact of the train wreck.
“Is it OK to still be here? Are my kids safe? Are the people safe? Is the future of this community safe? At the meeting, Glavan told reporters that he was 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 of living in our own home again is not worth it.
Ohio Train Derailment East Palestine Residents: What the Ratners (didn’t) Know Before They Were Out Of The Enough
The governor said that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency encourages water from private wells to be tested, because they might be closer to the surface.
A company spokesman said that some soil is moved during the initial response phase. The company is continuing to “remediate the site” including by removing soil, spokesperson Connor Spielmaker added.
Kurt Kohler of the Ohio EPA’s Office of Emergency Response stated on February 8, “Ohio EPA is going to remain involved through our other divisions that oversee the long-term clean up of these kinds of spill.” The federal EPA will do everything in its power to protect 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.
“Contaminated soil will continue (to) leech contaminants, both up into the air, and down into the surrounding ground,” Richard Peltier, an environmental health scientist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, told CNN in an email. “Every time it rains, a flood of new contaminants will enter the ecosystem.”
CNN asked Norfolk Southern why it had not removed contaminated soil before reopening the site, and if it had filled in areas of contaminated soil and chemicals in order to reopen the rail line.
Ben and his family worry about the longer-term risks that the environmental officials are only beginning to assess.
But the Ratners – who played extras in a Netflix disaster film with eerie similarities to the derailment crisis – still are feeling “an ever-changing mix of emotions and feelings just right from the outset, just the amount of unknown that was there,” said Ben, who owns a cafe a few towns over and isn’t sure he still wants to open another in East Palestine.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/15/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-residents/index.html
Deputy Mayor Vicente Velez is concerned about the air quality and water use at the Norfolk Southern Water Treatment Facility in Bethe Ansatz Palestine
“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. “That’s something tough to come to grips with.”
Norfolk Southern said it would provide millions of dollars worth of aid to East Palestine, including financial assistance to families, community assistance funds, and more.
But when Velez returned Monday for a short visit to the neighborhood where his family has lived since 2014 to check his home and his business, he developed a nagging headache that, he said, stayed with him through the night – and left him with a nagging fear.
Misinformation and exaggerations spread online, and state and federal officials have repeatedly offered assurances that air monitoring hasn’t detected any remaining concerns. The health director of Ohio said Tuesday that even low levels of contaminants can create persistent odors and headaches.
The Ohio EPA said residents in the area can smell odors coming from the site. 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.”
Ben said the family is limiting its water use because of unknown affects. Velez worries “every time we turn the water on or give my daughter a bath could potentially be hazardous,” he wrote on Facebook.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I can’t do that”: A frustrated man tells the tale of Airbnb hopping and the Norfolk Southern Railroad
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. There is only one viable solution to this issue; leave and pay a mortgage on a worthless home.
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.
But residents had many questions over health hazards and they demanded more transparency from the railroad operator, Norfolk Southern, which did not attend the gathering, citing safety concerns for its staff.
The meeting came amid concerns about the large amount of smoke, odors, and questions about potential harm to animals and the impact on drinking water.
They are being secretive. Kathy Dyke said of the railroad. “They’re not out here supporting, they’re not out here answering questions. We didn’t know what was on the train for three days.
In East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, residents want to know if the railroad will be held responsible for what happened when hundreds of families were evacuated.
Yost said in a letter to the company that the pollution caused environmental harm and created a nuisance.
Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw said in a statement that they will be judged on their actions. We are working with the community to identify what is needed to help East Palestine recover, as we are cleaning up the site in an environmental responsible way.
The head of the EPA traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday and said that the agency will hold the train company responsible for their involvement in the dangerous train wreck.
The EPA has the authority to use its enforcement capabilities over the crisis according to Administrator Michael S. Regan.
The company signed on to the accountability notice and will be responsible for the clean up, according to Regan. As new information comes to light, I will use the full enforcement authority of this agency and the federal government to make 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.
The East Palestine train wreck: “We are sorry for the inconvenience that we’ve been doing,” Ohio Mayor Regan Regan told a town hall
Hundreds of East Palestine residents attended a town hall Wednesday night to express their frustration and distrust. The train operator had agreed to attend but later pulled out of the event due to safety concerns.
The town was visited by Regan Thursday and he saw the work that was being done after the train wreck. The state has primary responsibility, but the EPA was prepared to support the scene.
On Thursday, Ohio’s governor requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention send medical experts to East Palestine to help people with health questions.
In anticipation of the upcoming precipitation, DeWine said that emergency response teams have plans in place to prevent contaminated waterways from washing into local waterways during storms.
DeWine said the Ohio Department of Agriculture continues to assure Ohioans that its food supply is safe and the risk to livestock remains low following the train derailment.
The mayor told the group of reporters at the meeting that they had to either blow up the tanks or blow them up themselves. There were harmful chemicals in the air. I am truly sorry, but that is the only option we had. They were going to blow up, and we were going to have a lot of debris in this town if we didn’t do that.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-thursday/index.html
Jami Coazza, a municipal employee, and the state inspector general manager of a railroad-owned hotel: Is he still there?
Conaway told reporters Wednesday night that he needed help. “I have the village on my back, and I’ll do whatever it takes … to make this right. I am not going anywhere.
A man who lives just a short walk from the site of the train crash told CNN that the company’s absence from the meeting was a slap in the face.
The majority of people wanted to stay, but they had to. He said that the people who had to leave were complaining of sickness, smells, and pains in their throats. “I have gone back a few times, and the smell does make you sick. It hurts your head.”
“I was extremely disappointed that they didn’t show up at the town hall meeting last night. The public deserves to know, he said. “The public deserves to have the latest information. It is the federal government’s job to hold this company accountable so I promise you we will.
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.
The railroad company reassured Cozza that it was safe for her to return to her hometown after air testing. However, she insisted the railroad company run soil and water tests, and only then did a toxicologist deem her house unsafe.
Coazza said Thursday that he would have been sitting in the house right now if he hadn’t used his voice.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-thursday/index.html
The Ohio River Side of the Ohio River: Health Concerns after Norfolk Southern Freight Train Wreck and February 3 Release of Toxic Vinyl Chloride
“My concern is how many of those kids are laying in their bed in East Palestine right now that are not safe,” she said. “I absolutely do not trust them.”
Residents in East Palestine are concerned about possible symptoms of diseases, which is why the health clinic is opening Tuesday. It will have registered nurses, mental health specialists and, at times, a toxicologist, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan will return to the town Tuesday to meet with residents and local and state officials, an EPA official with knowledge of the visit told CNN.
Residents of the small town of 5,000 are skeptical about the cause of the rash, headaches and nausea they areExperiencing after a Norfolk Southern freight train wreck and the subsequent release of toxic vinyl chloride on February 3.
Medical teams from the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and the US Department of Health are also expected to arrive in the community as early as this week to help assess what dangers remain.
People in East Palestine are questioning whether the air is safe to breathe or whether their water is safe to drink.
We shouldn’t say we’re done looking at the community for potential health impacts. Some may not occur until later,” said Haynes, adding that anyone experiencing health symptoms should take them seriously and call the poison control center.
Norfolk Southern installed booms and dams to restrict the flow of contaminated water from Sulphur Run and Leslie Run – two of the locations where fish were found dead, according to EPA.
There’s nothing to be sad about in the Ohio River area where the contaminants made their way. There is little risk to our water supply from the train crash, and we should be able to keep our water supply until the spill passes.
Julian said water measurements have been below the level of concern and that Maysville Utilities took precautionary measures in temporarily shutting down their Ohio River intake valve due to the public concern.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/21/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-tuesday/index.html
The EPA and Norfolk Southern Railroad Commission Investigating the Environmental Impact of the Toxic Rail Disaster: A Link between Environmental Protection and Air Quality
Norfolk Southern said Monday that most of the hazardous rail cars remain at the crash site, but about 15,000 pounds of contaminated soil and 1.1 million gallons of contaminated water have been removed from the scene.
The point of contention is the contaminated soil and its removal, after a public document sent to the EPA did not list it. The significance of soil that was not removed before the railroad reopened is unknown, and what impact it will have on the surrounding areas is not yet known.
As skepticism spreads about the safety of the air and water, some local business say they’ve seen fewer customers, despite calls to return to normal life.
A stylist at a hair salon also told the station there’s no doubt the salon lost business and that customers may be worried about what may be in the water washing their hair.
A lot of businesses are already suffering because people don’t want to come here, according to a local greenhouse owner.
Pete Buttigieg, the US transportation secretary, demanded accountability and called for greater safety regulations after the toxic train disaster.
“Together with local health officials, we have implemented a comprehensive testing program to ensure the safety of East Palestine’s water, air, and soil,” Shaw said.