The Gaza Village of East Palestine, Ohio, After the February 3, Fire-Induced By a Train Accident and Destroyed by a Toxic Vinyl Chloride Gas
The people who were evacuated from East Palestine because of the train accident can return to the village in Ohio, Fire Chief Drabick said.
An order to leave the area was lifted on February 8th after officials said air and water sample results showed the area was safe.
Residents have been assured that there are no dangers in the air or water. The EPA said crews checked hundreds of homes, and did not find dangerous levels of pollutants.
“I want the community to know that we hear you, we see you, and that we will get to the bottom of this,” Regan said. All volatile organic chemicals are being tested. We are testing for anything 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.”
The February 3 incident caused a massive fire and prompted officials to evacuate hundreds of people who lived near the site because of fears that a hazardous, highly flammable material might ignite. To prevent a potentially deadly explosion, toxic vinyl chloride gas was vented and burned, releasing a plume of black smoke over the town for days.
East Palestine has not been evacuated since Feb. 3, after a large train fire in the Norfolk Southern Village of Ashland, Ohio, according to the Ohio National Guard
The commander of the Ohio National Guard previously said that members wearing protective gear would take readings inside homes, basements and businesses as officials aimed to ensure the air was safe before lifting the evacuation order.
There were around 30 rail cars that had derailed when the first responders arrived. One of the overturned rail cars contained agricultural grain while the other overturned cars were empty, Van Buren Township Public Safety said.
“We will be judged by our actions. We are cleaning up the site in a socially responsible manner, we are reimbursing people who were affected, and we are working with members of the community to identify what is needed to help East Palestine get back on its feet.
On Feb. 3, about 50 cars of a Norfolk Southern train went off track in Ohio, causing a days-long fire in the area. Ten of the 50 derailed cars contained hazardous chemicals including butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride, which were among combustible liquids that authorities feared could set off a major explosion.
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.
As of Sunday, the Environmental Protection Agency had not found any levels of concern in East Palestine.
The Ratner home was tested and cleared for harmful substances. No chemical detections have been found so far in the air of nearly 300 homes that were screened by the EPA for hazardous chemicals, it said in a news update Monday.
Breathing or drinking vinyl chloride can cause a number of health risks including dizziness and headaches. People who breathe it in many years may have damage to the bile duct.
Vinyl chloride is broken down from sunlight within a few days when it is exposed to the environment. 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 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.
Investigations of the Norfolk Southern Tagged Wreckage of the SS Nissui Train During a “Low Level Exposure”
“People are going to be concerned about the long-term chronic exposure that comes at lower levels now that we’re entering into a longer term phase of this,” Karen Dannemiller said.
She added that indoor spaces can be an important point of exposure, which is why she urges East Palestine residents to take part in EPA’s at-home air screening.
Dannemiller recommends residents wipe down surfaces and wash items that smell and collect dust. She also advises vacuuming carefully in short bursts to try to prevent contaminants from moving into the air.
While NTSB preliminary reports do not include a definitive cause nor draw conclusions, federal investigators probing the wreck have said surveillance video captured a wheel of the train bearing “in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment.”
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.
CNN was briefed on the report by a source familiar with the investigation who described it as a tight presentation of the facts and the mounting questions about Norfolk Southern and the mechanical failures that may have preceded it.
The wreckage burned for days as authorities worried about the possibility of a widespread, deadly explosion. The chemical can kill quickly at high levels, so crews made controlled detonations to release it. The substance was burned away after it spilled into a trench.
The Norfolk Southern Railroad, No Vinyl Chloride in Waterways, and EPA Tracking of a Fire Compound Plume at the Site of the Norfolk Southern Scenario
DeWine said it is “absurd” that the law did not require Norfolk Southern to notify officials that a train with hazardous materials was coming through the state.
No vinyl chloride has been found in any of the down-gradient waterways around the site of the train wreck, and environmental teams areerating waterways near the site.
Some waterways indeed have been contaminated – but the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is confident contaminants are contained, said Tiffany Kavalec, the agency’s division chief of surface water.
“Fire combustion chemicals” flowed to the Ohio River, “but the Ohio River is very large, and it’s a water body that’s able to dilute the pollutants pretty quickly,” Kavalec said. The chemicals are a “contaminant plume” the Ohio EPA and other agencies have tracked in real time and is believed to be moving about a mile an hour, she said.
The Ohio EPA and other agencies have been tracking the chemicals in real time. Kavalec said that 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 say that the water from the municipal system is safe to drink. However, the state’s EPA encouraged residents who get water from private wells to get that water tested, the governor’s office said.
A Water Safety Plan for the Ohio Waterway Spills Following the Oct. 14, 2012, Derailment with a Heavy Metal Elliptical
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. 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 Konlar, the on-scene leader of the Ohio EPA’s Office of Emergency Response, said that some of the dirt pits are around 700 feet long and 8 feet deep.
Some people in East Palestine, Ohio say they have become ill after returning to their homes this week, and are worried that these are related to the chemicals released when a train derailed two weeks ago.
Anecdotes are challenging because they are anecdotes. “Everything that we’ve gathered thus far is really pointing toward very low measurements, if at all.”
The air was filled with a strong smell of chlorine this week as the Velez family was raising their two children.
The representatives of Norfolk Southern planned to come to Wednesday night’s meeting to give residents information on how to respond to the chemical crisis. The company backed out because of threats.
According to a company release, they are concerned about the increasing threat of physical danger due to the participation of outside parties at the event.
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.
The community meeting was scheduled for Wednesday evening and residents were invited to discuss the impact of the accident with their attorneys.
What Do We Need to Know About East Palestine’s Water Wells? Deputy Administrator Mike Regan Tells CNN That Soil Removal had Not been Removed
The lifelong resident of East Palestine, Jessica Conard, said she does not feel safe because she does not know what the future holds for her town. This could decimate a small town like us.
Velez explained that his wife is a nurse and that they are not exposing them to whatever is currently in our town. “The risk and anxiety of trying to live in our own home again is not worth it.”
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.
Cleanup and monitoring of the site could take years, Kurt Kohler of the Ohio EPA’s Office of Emergency Response said February 8, vowing that after the emergency response, “Ohio EPA is going to remain involved through our other divisions that oversee the long-term cleanup of these kinds of spill.” The federal EPA will continue to help protect the community, Administrator Michael Regan said Tuesday.
The document that was sent to the EPA and recently made public by the agency did not list soil removal among the 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. When it rains, there will be a flood of new contaminants.
CNN asked Norfolk Southern why it did not remove the contaminated soil before opening the site and if it had filled in the affected areas to reopen the rail line.
Residents of East Palestine are worried about the environmental impacts of air quality, especially when there is a “nothing but a little”
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, who owns a cafe a few towns, said the Ratners are still feeling a mix of emotions from the beginning, as though they have never experienced a disaster before.
It is hard to make an investment in something like that or feel good about paying your mortgage when there is no value to it in the future, he said. “That’s something tough to come to grips with.”
Norfolk Southern’s CEO Alan Shaw posted an open letter telling East Palestine residents, “I hear you” and “we are here and will stay here for as long as it takes to ensure your safety and to help East Palestine recover and thrive.”
When Velez went to check on his home and business Monday, he developed a nagging headaches that lingered throughout the night, leaving him with a fear.
State and federal officials have offered assurances that the air monitoring hasn’t detected any concerns, despite the fact that Misinformation and exaggerations spread online. The health director said Tuesday that even low levels of contaminants can create odors or symptoms like 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. “This is because 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 Safety Testing Across a Line of Sight for the Ratner Family, a Seattle-based Correspondent, and a Representative of the Norfolk Southern Railroad
The Ratner family is limiting its water use because of unknown affects, Ben Ratner said. Velez said on Facebook that giving his daughter a bath could potentially 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 worthless home is the only viable solution.
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.
Norfolk Southern did not attend the gathering because of safety concerns for its staff, but residents demanded more transparency from the railroad operator because of their many health questions.
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.
The East Palestine train tragedy: Why is it so? Why does the US Environmental Protection Agency have the power to investigate?” EPA Administrator Michael 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 didn’t have a clue what was on the train for three days.
In and around East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, residents say they want to know whether the railroad will be held responsible for what happened when hundreds of families were evacuated.
“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.
Norfolk Southern wouldn’t do this out of their own heart, that was my view. There isn’t a lot of goodness in there. “They needed to be compelled to act.”
The US Environmental Protection Agency head traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday and said that the agency would hold the train company Norfolk Southern accountable for its role in the train carrying hazardous chemicals derailing.
Michael S. Regan, the Administrator of the EPA, said that his agency has full authority to use its enforcement capabilities during the crisis.
Regan told CNN that the federal government and the agency would be used to ensure that the company is held accountable.
“I understand the frustrations of East Palestine residents,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine at a railroad station after the February 3 train wreck
The main concern for all of them is the fact that a lot of them don’t have municipal water supplies. I think their biggest concern is if the toxins that were dissipated in the course of this will get into the waterways. Are they ever going to make it into the well water?
Hundreds of East Palestine residents attended a town hall Wednesday night to express their frustrations and mounting distrust. The train operator had agreed to attend but later pulled out of the event due to safety concerns.
The railroad is responsible for the environmental clean up as a result of the agency’s move, the EPA Administrator said during a Tuesday press conference.
The US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been asked by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to help with the recovery of East Palestine after the train derailed and caught fire on February 3.
In anticipation of the upcoming storms, emergency response teams have been put in place to keep pollutants not yet removed from the site of the train wreck from flowing into local waterways.
DeWine said the Ohio Department of Agriculture is still assuring Ohioans that the food supply is safe and the risk to livestock remains low following the train wreck.
The harmful chemicals entered the air. I am truly sorry, but that is the only option we had. If we didn’t do that, then they were going to blow up, and we were going to have shrapnel all across this town.”
Jami Cozza: “Is it safe to come home if you’re going there?” State Sens. Denise Conaway
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’m not leaving and I’m not going anywhere.
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.”
The majority of people did not want to go home. He said that all the people who had to return home were complaining of headaches, sickness and many other symptoms. “I have gone back a few times, and the smell does make you sick. It hurts your head.
They did not attend the town hall meeting last night. The public deserves transparency,” he said. The public is entitled to the latest information. I promise 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 told CNN that the railroad company said that it was safe to come home after air testing. She insisted on having her house tested by the railroad company but only after a toxicologist decided her house was unsafe.
“Had I not used my voice, had I not thrown a fit, I would be sitting in that house right now, when they told me that it was safe,” Cozza said Thursday.
State of the Art in East Palestine: The Biden Administration Boosted the Federal Environmental Agency Administration after an Ohio Freight Train Collision
She is concerned about how many children are laying in their beds in East Palestine because they are not safe. “I absolutely do not trust them.”
The Biden administration said it has deployed federal medical experts to help assess what dangers remain at an Ohio village where a train carrying hazardous materials derailed this month, a ramp-up of federal support at the governor’s request as anxious residents point to signs of adverse effects.
The request for medical experts is not limited to physicians or behavioral health specialists, according to DeWine. Some community members are already seeing a doctor in the area but are still concerned about their condition and long-term effects.
The White House said Thursday that the Biden administration approved the request, and started sending teams from both federal departments for public health testing and assessments.
Jean-Pierre noted Thursday that the train wreck situation is much more expansive than what FEMA can offer.
The federal boost to a community of over 5,000 people along the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line comes amid some residents’ growing concerns that some areas may not be safe to live in.
On Thursday, the head of the federal Environmental Agency Administration visited East Palestine and made it a point to assure residents that the agency has their backs.
Regan also noted that the train operator, Norfolk Southern, has signed a notice of accountability, acknowledging they will be responsible for the cleanup.
The National Transportation Safety Board head said Thursday that investigators are working to determine what caused the freight train crash in Ohio.
At around 8:12 p.m. on February 3, sparks from an apparent wheel bearing overheating were visible as the train passed through Salem, Ohio, two surveillance videos obtained by CNN show. Bright light and sparks are seen emanating from one of the rail cars.
Implosion on Twitter to Not speculate about the Cause of the Air-Contaminment Collision after the April 8, 2008, Explosion
Homendy, whose agency is responsible for investigating various transportation crashes from aviation to railways, implored the public on Twitter not to speculate about the cause of the crash.
During an intense community town hall meeting the mayor of East Palestine said the only option was to release the chemicals manually or risk a greater danger to residents.
The company said it would give $1,000 to residents who were within a mile of the spill. A spokesman for the company told CNN that they decided to pay each person in the entire 44413 ZIP code.
Residents were given the all-clear to return to their homes February 8 after air monitoring in East Palestine did not detect any elevated chemicals of concern.
On the 10th, after we went back, we decided we couldn’t raise our kids here. There was a bad smell that made me think of hair perming solution.
I had a rash on my arm, and my eyes burned after we left, so I decided to stay indoors for a few days.
“The chemical smell was so strong that it made me nauseous,” Greathouse said. “I just wanted to quickly pick up what I needed and leave. I only took a few pieces of clothes because even the clothes smelled like chemicals, and I’m afraid to put them on my kids.”
She says she’s also kept her children out of preschool since the derailment. She was reassured by the teacher that students were only using bottled water, but she was worried about other types of contamination.
I like the teachers of the preschool my son attends, but I am still afraid of them. Some teachers have even expressed their concerns about the air quality,” Greathouse said.
East Palestine Residents Need Help to Report Chemical Exposures After the Derailment: When the Train Wreck Left Philadelphia, It’s Always Sunny and Cold
We’re fortunate that we have a place to live. Didn’t think I would ever say that. I feel terrible for my landlord, however I cannot risk my family’s health.
Shaw said that they and local health officials have implemented a comprehensive testing program to ensure the safety of East Palestine’s water, air, and soil.
A CDC rep who asked not to be named said that the agency for Toxic Substances and Diseaseregistry expected to have a team on site Monday. The team will conduct an Assessment of Chemical Exposure investigation, which surveys the impact of a chemical release on people and the community.
The volatile organic compounds released by the controlled explosion can cause symptoms similar to those reported by some East Palestine residents, including headache, sore throat, and nose and eye irritation, but experts say it’s extremely difficult to connect chemical exposures to health effects.
Haynes, who has experience investigating toxic exposures in communities, says she is seeking approval from her university’s Institutional Review Board to start a study in East Palestine to help give residents more information on their chemical exposures in air, water and soil.
“They need all the help they can get,” she said. This is an emergency. This is a very bad disaster. They need all the assistance that we all can provide.
DeSanzo is half a mile away from the train wreck, and she asked if it was safe. It’s not in many of the people’s heads that they’re having pinkeye or rashes, but they are dealing with chemicals.
After the derailment, DeSanzo evacuated with her kids just over the state line in Pennsylvania, where her uncle had an empty duplex. They slept on the floor and the couch.
When she came home this week, DeSanzo says, she aired out her house, changed the furnace filter and washed their sheets and clothes. Even so, she says, they all recently went to a local immediate care clinic because her kids were coughing, and “our throats were raw.”
According to De Sanzo, the doctor advised East Palestine residents with similar symptoms that they should call poison control and get a blood test. She hasn’t gotten the blood test yet.
Debbie Pietrzak, a spokesperson for Salem Regional Medical Center, which runs the clinic DeSanzo went to, confirmed that it has treated a small number of residents with symptoms like sore throats and respiratory problems. The hospital’s emergency room has seen fewer than 10 patients from East Palestine, she said.
The facilities and primary care providers that we have are willing to help anyone who is in need of medical attention, and we are working closely with the County’s Health Department and other local, state and federal agencies which are monitoring the situation.
Natalie Rine, a pharmacist who directs the Central Ohio Poison Center, said the state’s poison control centers are getting calls from East Palestine residents, too. The help lines have experts trained in toxicology and can help if there are health concerns.
Ayla De Sanzo, a 47-year-old mother from East Palestine, says she’s afraid to go back to school
DeSanzo says she wants to leave but can’t afford to. Her mortgage is about $400 a month, less than half of those of other homes she’s found in the area that are farther from the accident site.
Ayla says her daughters are staying with her parents in Leetonia, about 20 minutes west of East Palestine, until the couple is able to make sure their home is safe.
“I did allow my 4-year-old to return to preschool, which is in the East Palestine Elementary School. She went back for two days and developed another rash on her hands and started complaining of itching, so I pulled her back out,” Ayla said.
That is what the chair of the department of Environmental Health at a Harvard school of public health feels is the right thing to do.
“There are people that are highly sensitive to chemicals and can feel it before necessarily a monitor can pick it up,” Nadeau said. There is not a good pathway for determining chemical sensitivities. A lot of it is based on clinical symptoms.
Nadeau and other environmental health experts advise people who are having symptoms to see a health care provider, primarily for medical care but also so their case can be documented.
“So that if there is a cluster, or if there’s a group of people that all of a sudden have complained about a rash or given symptoms, that really helps doctors come together with institutions like the CDC and do a little bit more fact-finding,” she said.
A Health Clinic in East Palestine, Ohio, For Residents After the February 3 Derailment of a Norfolk Southern Freight Train and its Effects on Water Quality
The governor of Ohio said that the state has opened a health clinic in East Palestine for residents who may have health issues after the train wreck.
Michael Regan will be in the town to meet with residents and local officials on Tuesday according to an official with knowledge of the visit.
The visit comes as skepticism and anxiety spread in the small town of 5,000 while reports mount of rashes, headaches, nausea and other symptoms that residents fear could be related to the February 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train and crews’ subsequent release of the toxic chemical vinyl chloride from the wreck.
The EPA said air monitoring and sampling would continue until the removal of polluted soil in the area was complete.
“We should never say we’re done looking at this community for potential exposures and 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 put booms and dams on the waterways to limit the flow of the contaminated water where fish were found dead.
“The takeaway is that anyone along the Ohio River where the contaminants made their way can breathe a sigh of relief,” he said. “There’s little risk to our water supply from the train derailment site and temporarily shutting down the water treatment plant and not pulling from the river until the spill passed should give us all peace of mind.”
Maysville Utilities temporarily shut down their Ohio River Intake valve due to the public concern as well as the fact that water readings have been below the level.
The Norfolk Southern Railroad Associated With a Destruction of a Fragment Train. In response to the Cleveland Firefighter and Environmental Protection Official, Alan Shaw
Cleaning up the site of a train wreck involves removing contaminated soil and water from under the tracks. Ohio officials said that the tracks would be lifted to remove the soil.
“There’s been a concern by citizens, very understandably, that the railroad started, got the tracks back on and started running and the soil under the tracks had not been dealt with,” DeWine said. The administrator ordered that the soil be removed. The soil has to be removed and the tracks have to be taken up.
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.
The salon lost business and customers may be concerned about the water in the washing machine because of that, said the hairdresser.
“I know a lot of our businesses are already suffering greatly because people don’t want to come here,” local greenhouse owner Dianna Elzer told CNN affiliate WPXI.
Pete Buttigieg, US Transportation Secretary, was one of the officials that demanded accountability and called for more safety regulations.
There are people in East Palestine who are worried about possible adverse health effects from the toxic materials released when a freight train derailed, and crews still are working to respond.
“In no way, shape or form, will Norfolk Southern get off the hook for the mess that they created,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said, vowing to use the agency’s “full enforcement authority.”
The train operator in East Palestine must pay to clean up the mess they created after the train derailed, as promised by the nation’s top environmental official.
More than $6 million was committed by the company in East Palestine, which included direct financial assistance for families impacted by the accident.
In an interview with CNBC, Alan Shaw commented on criticism from Pete Buttigieg and Ohio Sen., saying that the company invests more than $1 billion a year in science-based safety solutions.
“It’s pretty clear that our safety culture and our investments in safety didn’t prevent this accident,” Shaw said. “We need to take a look at this and see what we can do differently and what we can do better.”
Does the Pennsylvania-Ohio Border Collision Atteach a Highway-Three Pinpoint for Good Medical Care?
The crash took place not far from the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, and the EPA was hailed by the governor of Pennsylvania.
Shaw declined to speak about potential causes in the CNBC interview. He also said Norfolk Southern is fully cooperating with the investigation into the cause of the accident.
He said that it was response to the concerns that they had heard that people wanted to be able to go and get some answers about their medical problems.
President Joe Biden echoed the sentiment Tuesday, calling the EPA’s order “common sense.” “This is their mess. They should clean it up,” the president said of Norfolk Southern in an Instagram post.
“I know this order cannot undo the nightmare that families in this town have been living with. But it will begin to deliver much needed justice for the pain that Norfolk Southern has caused,” Regan said.
It was Norfolk Southern that gave the middle finger to the good people of Pennsylvania and Ohio, according to the Governor of Pennsylvania. He said authorities on the border would be watching the water.
The East Palestine Train Derailment: What We Have Learned About Water and Air Quality in Pennsylvania, and What We Can Do to Ensure Future Rail Safety Measures
Toasting with glasses of tap water from the home of an East Palestine, Ohio, resident, Regan and DeWine sought to quell bubbling concerns about the safety of the water.
Pennsylvania’s governor – who also ordered evacuations after the derailment – alleged Tuesday that the train operator gave officials “inaccurate information” and “refused to explore or articulate alternative courses of action,” in the days following the toxic wreck.
According to him, Norfolk Southern injected unnecessary risk into the crisis and I will hold them accountable for their actions.
Alan Shaw said that his company was aligned with the EPA and local efforts after the train wreck in East Palestine.
Shaw said that his company continues to monitor air and water quality and has conducted hundreds of tests with thousands of data points, “all of which have come back clean.”
The toxic derailment, which upended life in the community, has prompted calls for better rail safety and fueled questions about laws surrounding the movement of toxic substances.
President Biden accused the Trump administration of limiting the governments ability to strengthen rail safety measures after he called on Congress to help implement rail safety measures.
“This is more than a train derailment or a toxic waste spill – it’s years of opposition to safety measures coming home to roost,” Biden wrote in an Instagram post.
East Palestine residents are still concerned about the potential impact of the toxic wreck, despite the fact that crews are continuing to clean up.
Still, as worries remain, the state opened a new health clinic for East Palestine residents to address the reports of rashes, headaches, nausea and other symptoms.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-wednesday/index.html
What do we know and what do we need to do about it? The response of the EPA Administrator to the announcement of the reported symptoms at a Detroit hospital
Asked about the reported symptoms, the EPA administrator said Tuesday that he’s “not discounting what people are experiencing” and asked anyone concerned to seek medical attention.
I believe people when they say they are facing adverse impacts. And what we’re doing is we’re asking them to seek medical attention … then we can take that information and add that as part of our response,” Regan said. We aren’t discounting what people are going through. We just ask that they seek medical help while we conduct all of our investigations.”
Conaway said at Tuesday’s news conference that the town needed to be cleaned up and residents should feel safe in their homes. That is the number one thing. Your home is your sanctuary: if you don’t feel safe in your home, then you’re never going to feel safe anywhere.”
She recently said she does not want to give up, and she was keeping an eye on a vat of maple syrup in her yard. But as she ran through the questions she had about planting a garden, eating the fruit from her trees and letting her horses drink from the nearby creek in the wake of the chemical burn, Ms. Mibuck conceded: “I don’t feel completely safe doing that. I hate that.”
When the Norfolk Southern freight train careened off the tracks and wreaked havoc on the outskirts of East Palestine, Ohio, a town of roughly 4,700 people, it upended an area where generations of families could afford to buy acres of land and raise horses. Although farming provides only a small number of jobs in the immediate area, many residents say that raising livestock and working the land are profoundly important to their way of life.
The land, the water and the fresh air have been reliable sources of safety through a long global epidemic. Many landowners are no longer confident in the region because of the chemical threat. The EPA said that some of the substances were released into the air, water and soil.
The Effects of a Pulmonologist on the Respiratory Epidemic and Wells: A Report to the Ohio Medical University Nicholas Proia
Who is he? Northeast Ohio Medical University has a clinical professor named Nicholas Proia who is also a pulmonologist.
What are people saying? Proia hadn’t been to a controlled burn yet but was bracing for a rise in patients after the accident.
We have not seen a lot of respiratory illness come in. What we have heard, mostly through the media, and a few patients will say, perhaps a rash or a foul smell. But really no overt shortness of breath, or respiratory failure has been connected to this.
Remember, you are only going to find what you are looking for. Who knows what else is out there after a big fire with a bunch of different chemicals.
I’ve authorized testing of all of the wells on the Pennsylvania side and the public water system to ensure that local residents have the comfort of knowing what’s coming out of the tap is safe. We’ve seen no concerning readings yet, but we’re going to continue to test for months and months and months, if not years.
Two days after the Ohio train wreck: Jim Stewart, Joshua DeWine and Josh Hickman, and his wife, Josh, in East Palestine
Nearly three weeks since the toxic train wreck in a small Ohio community, the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release its preliminary report on the derailment.
Jim Stewart, who has lived in East Palestine for more than 50 years, said the wreck burned his dreams of retiring soon and selling the house, and that he is scared about what the home’s value now looks like. He is afraid to take his dog out because the smell is strong, and is wondering if he will be able to plant his tomatoes this summer because of the contaminated soil.
After travelling from Alliance, Ohio to Salem, Ohio at an average speed of 49 miles per hour, the train slowed to less than half that speed between Salem and East Palestine.
Her son has had bloody noses every day and she has had skin issues after her family returned home.
Another resident, Josh Hickman, said he is still staying at a hotel as he doesn’t feel safe returning home, but he’s had to come into the village a few times and experienced symptoms including headaches, dizziness and blood from his nose – and on Tuesday, sought treatment at the emergency room.
In East Palestine, Mayor Conaway said they were getting everything they needed except answers. “We need answers, as far as the health concerns.”
During the town hall, Ohio’s governor said he did not want to minimize any medical issues that might be linked to the train crash, and requested medical experts to the community.
Medical teams from the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and the US Department of Health and Human Services will also be on the ground this week at DeWine’s request, he said Friday.
The state also opened a health assessment clinic Tuesday for residents who worry their symptoms could be linked to the wreck. The clinic can provide residents with referrals if they need them, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/23/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-thursday/index.html
The City of East Palestine: A Clean-up Plan for a Clean-Up Program for the Mill Street Neighborhood. Is the Water Really Useable?
“We’re going to get the clean-up right, we’re going to reimburse the citizens, we’re going to invest in the long term health of this community,” Shaw said. “I’m going to see this through, and we’re going to be here. We will be working with the community leaders to help you thrive.
DeWine said 4,588 cubic yards of soil and 1.1 million gallons of contaminated water have been removed so far from East Palestine. The railroad tracks will also be taken up so that the soil can be removed, the governor has said.
“Since I (got) home from evacuating, I’m still not using the water because I never know if … they’re telling the truth or it’s a lie,” resident Nene Stewart said during the town hall. “I use bottled water. I can’t. I’m not trusting what they’re saying. I am not sure who is telling the truth.