Accident in Ohio: fear in a city in the United States after the derailment of a train with chemical substances

Twelve days after the derailment of a train loaded with toxic chemicals in the small Ohio town of East Palestine, residents are still demanding answers.

“It’s pretty dramatic right now,” said James Figley, who lives a few blocks from the derailment site. “The whole town is in an uproar.”

Figley, a 63-year-old graphic designer, was sitting on his couch on the night of February 3 when he heard the horrible sound of metal coming to a stop. He and his wife got in the car to investigate and discovered a hellish scene.

“There was a series of continuous explosions and the smell startedeither to be terrifying”, Figley recounted.

“If you’ve ever burned plastic in your backyard and [te sale] that black smoke… That was it,” he said. “It was black, just black. The chemical smell was noticeable. It burned your eyes. It could get very ugly if you were downwind.”

The fire caused panic among the residents who lived a few blocks away.

Days later, a plume of toxic smoke rose over the city as authorities burned a dangerous chemical known as vinyl chloride before it could explode.

In the days that followed, dead fish appeared in the streams.Thousands of them, authorities later confirmed.

Neighbors told local media that their chickens died suddenly, the foxes panicked and their pets fell ill. Residents complained of headaches, burning eyes and sore throats.

State Governor Mike DeWine said Wednesday that while the city’s air quality was safe, residents near the site of the toxic spill should drink bottled water as a precaution.

State and federal officials have assured residents that contaminated soil was being removed from the site and that municipal air and water quality is now normal.

The disconnect between what some residents have reported and the guarantees that officials continue to give has caused confusion and fear in Eastern Palestine.

Meanwhile, a group of environmental and health experts have questioned the safety of the area after the accident.

In social networks it is stated that officials are not telling residents all the TRUEdespite frequent government updates and anger against the railway company.

“There are too many things we don’t know,” Figley said.

Authorities have provided some details about the Norfolk Southern train, which derailed on February 3 while en route to Pennsylvania.

The train was carrying about 150 freight cars, 50 of which were affected by the accident, DeWine said at a news conference Tuesday. At least 10 containedNo potentially toxic materials.

The US National Transportation Safety Board has not yet determined the exact cause of the derailment, but has said it may have been related to a mechanical problem with one of the railcars’ axles.

Their cars transported, among other substances, vinyl chloride, a colorless and dangerous gas used to make PVC plastic and vinyl products.

Vinyl chloride is also a known carcinogen. Contact with this chemical can cause dizziness, drowsiness and headaches, while prolonged exposure can cause liver damage and a rare form of liver cancer.

On February 6, after evacuating the area, The authorities performed a controlled burning of vinyl chloride.

Federal, state and railroad experts concluded that it was safer to do the controlled burn than let the material explode and send shrapnel through the city, DeWine said, calling it a choice between “two bad options.”

The controlled burning generated an apocalyptic column of smoke over Eastern Palestine. The images went viral on social media, with many shocked observers comparing them to a disaster movie.

Days later, DeWine, Josh Shapiro -the governor of Pennsylvania-, and Norfolk Southern declared that the burning had been a success. Residents were even allowed to return once authorities deemed it safe.

“For us, when they said all was clear, we decided it was okay to go back,” said John Myers, a resident of East Palestine, who lives with his family in a house near the site of the derailment.

He assured that he had not experienced any negative side effects. “The air smells like always,” he said.

On Tuesday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that it had not detected significant levels of hazardous substances in the air.

The agency has so far tested nearly 400 homes and has found no chemicals, though it continues to test more area residences and conduct air quality checks.

After the accident, the EPA found traces of chemicals in nearby water samples, including the Ohio River. According to the agency, that contaminated water had entered storm drains.

Ohio authorities have offered to test affected residents’ water supplies or drill new wells if requested.

On Wednesday, the Ohio State Environmental Protection Agency assured residents that the wells that feed the local water systems did not contain chemicals from the derailment and that the municipal water supply was potable.

For some, it has been difficult to reconcile the alarming images of toxic burning with the government’s recent go-ahead for East Palestine.

Social media users, especially on Twitter and TikTok, have taken notice of reports of injured animals and images of vinyl chloride burning, demanding more responses from authorities.

After people posted videos of dead fish on social media, the authorities recognized that the phenomenon was real.

Around 3,500 fish of 12 different species had died after the accident along 7.5 miles of streams south of East Palestine, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources revealed.

However, authorities said they had received no reports that the derailment or chemical burning had directly led to the deaths of livestock or other land animals.

Residents in the immediate area have complained of headaches and nausea. more than a week after the chemicals burned, according to reports in the Washington Post, New Republic and local news outlets.

Environmental experts told the BBC they had doubts about the government’s decision to allow people to return to East Palestine so soon after the accident and controlled burning.

“It appears that state and local regulators have been quick to give the green light for people to return.”said David Masur, executive director of the Penn Environment Research & Policy Center.

“That creates a lot of mistrust and skepticism in the public about trusting these agencies, which is a problem,” he said.

In addition to vinyl chloride, several of the other substances on the train could form dangerous compounds when burned, such as dioxin, said Peter DeCarlo, a Johns Hopkins University professor who studies air pollution.

“As an atmospheric chemist, it’s something I’d like to stay very, very, very far away from.”. He added that he wanted the EPA to publish more detailed data on air quality.

Residents of East Palestine have submitted at least four class action lawsuits against the Norfolk Southern Railroad, alleging that they have been exposed to toxic substances and have suffered “serious emotional disturbances” as a result of the derailment.

“Many of our clients are considering leaving the area,” said Hunter Miller, a lawyer representing East Palestinian residents Ray and Judith Hall in a class action lawsuit against the railway.

“This is supposed to be your safe haven, your happy place, your home,” Miller added. “And now they feel that their home has been infiltrated, that they already they are not so convinced that this is a safe haven.”

On Tuesday, a reporter asked DeWine if he personally would feel safe coming home if he lived in East Palestine.

“I would be alert and concerned”DeWine replied. “But I think I would probably go back to my house.”

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