More than a week ago, some 50 freight train cars derailed in a spectacular accident on the outskirts of East Palestine, a town near the Pennsylvania state line. Apparently, it was due to a mechanical problem with the axle of a wagon.
No one was hurt in that accident, but concerns about air quality and the dangerous chemicals on board the train have caused some residents to leave the town. Later, the authorities ordered the evacuation of the nearby areasas fears grew about a possible explosion from the smoking wreckage.
Operators trying to avoid the danger of an uncontrolled explosion opted to intentionally release and burn the toxic vinyl chloride that was in five train carriages, causing new flames and black smoke to rise into the sky again. The stunning scene has made those affected question the potential health impacts on residents in the area and beyond. The authorities maintained that they were doing everything possible to protect people.
In the days since then, concerns and questions from residents have only increased, amplified, in part, by the misinformation that spreads on the internet. This is what we know:
Was the controlled burn safe?
Vinyl chloride is associated with an increased risk of some types of cancer, and workers warned at the time that burning it would release two gases of concern: hydrogen chloride and phosgenethe second of which was used as a weapon in World War I.
Environmental officials say sensors detected toxins in the air in the area during the controlled burn and kept people away until they dissipated. In addition, they ensure that the continuous monitoring of the air carried out by government agencies, including tests inside almost 400 homes, has not detected dangerous levels in the area since residents were allowed to return. The US Environmental Protection Agency has shared the results of air monitoring on the internet.
What possible long-term effects are there?
Residents of East Palestine, including those in more remote areas, are concerned about the long-term effects of exposure, even at low levels, to pollutants. The town has scheduled a meeting at the local high school this Wednesday night to hear questions from residents, whose concerns include persistent odorshow to ensure that someone is responsible for cleaning and what to do with pets and livestock that have turned up sick or dead from the derailment.
The risk to animals is low, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which recommended that people contact a local veterinarian if they have any concerns about the health of their livestock or pets. The Department has not received any official reports of livestock or pet illnesses or deaths directly related to the incidentalthough making such a decision would require a necropsy and laboratory work.
The director of the Ohio Department of Health, Bruce Vanderhoff, has warned in a press conference on Tuesday that the residents concerned about lingering odors or headaches since the derailment, they must know that it can be caused by levels of pollutants in the air that are well below what is considered unsafe.
The derailment also raised questions about the safety of the railroads, although federal data shows that accidents involving hazardous materials on this scale are very rare. The trains they passed through East Palestine again shortly after the evacuation order was lifted.
Is there a risk to water and soil?
The contaminants spilled into some waterways and are toxic to fish, but authorities have claimed that drinking water in the area has been kept safe.
In addition to vinyl chloride, at least three other substances – butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate and ethylene glycol monobutyl – released into air, soil, or wateraccording to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has warned the rail operator Norfolk Southern about his possible liability for cleaning costs.
Norfolk Southern’s response has included efforts to remove contaminants spilled onto the ground and from nearby streams, as well as air quality monitoring, soil sampling and residential water wells, according to its preliminary repair plan.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates that the spill affected more than 11.2 kilometers of streams and killed an estimated 3,500 fishmostly small.
In addition, a column of contaminants with butyl acrylate formed in the Ohio River in the first days after the derailment, and as of Tuesday it was still flowing slowly, approaching Huntington, West Virginia, according to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency sources.
The amounts of contaminants found so far do not represent a risk for cities that depend on the river for drinking water, and the plume continues to dilute as it goes, according to the EPA.
In response, some water companies closed their intakes or increased treatment processes as a precautionary measure.
Is what is said on social networks true?
As with any ongoing issue, misinformation and hyperbole have spread on the web in the last days.
Some social media users, for example, have falsely claimed that drinking water is contaminated throughout the Ohio River Basin, when many areas in the multi-state region have not been affected by the release of chemicals.
Images of dark and ominous clouds have also spread along with claims that they showed East Palestine after burning, even though it was known.It was about images from November 2022.
As information continues to develop, disinformation experts stress that users should be careful before sharing unverified claims.
What has caused the accident?
Investigators have examined the railcar that started the derailment and have surveillance video from a home showing “what appears to be a wheel bearing in the final stages of an overheating failure moments before the derailment,” the National Board said Tuesday. Transportation Security. His preliminary report is expected in two weeks..
However, rail operator Norfolk Southern and the National Transportation Safety Board have not publicly responded to one of the big questions about the February 3 derailment: When exactly was the crew alerted to the mechanical problem? Did they respond appropriately to the situation?
A fault detector alerted the crew to a mechanical problem “shortly before the derailment” and emergency braking was initiated, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board said this weekend.
Security video from two establishments in Salem, Ohio shows the underside of a train car glowing brightly from an apparent burning shaftindicating that the train could have traveled more than 20 miles (32.1 kilometers) with that failure before the derailment, according to the report. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday that Norfolk Southern had mishandled the disaster from the start. and that his actions hampered a response from state and local agencies. He also pointed out that the company I was not willing to look for options to release and burn the five railcars filled with vinyl chloride in a controlled manner.
“Give priority to a tight and arbitrary schedule to reopen the railway line created unnecessary risk and created confusionShapiro said in a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw.
According to the criteria of
Know more