2023/02/16 24 hours around the corner
【2023. 2. 16 U.S.】
12 Days After Ohio Train Derailment: Small-town Crisis From Toxic Chemical Leak?
“After the train derailment in Ohio … what to do about the health problems that may be caused by the chemical leakage?” The leakage of the toxic chemical vinyl chloride caused by the train derailment in Ohio, USA, is still a serious problem in the small town where the accident happened. In East Palestine, more than 10 days after the incident, on February 15th, local residents held a collective meeting, reporting that many people had headaches, eye inflammation and other symptoms of discomfort. The fish in the surrounding area, artificially raised chickens and other wild Animals also died in large numbers. However, in the face of residents’ anger and anxiety, local health officials still said that the local water and air quality met safe standards, while the company “Norfolk Southern” (Norfolk Southern), which owns the derailed train, which is facing multiple class action lawsuits, cited “fear of being attack” and refused to send representatives to attend the residents’ meeting.
▌Previous summary:
The Ohio train derailment accident occurred on February 3. A train with about 150 carriages under the Norfolk Southern Company had an accident. 38 carriages derailed and 12 carriages fell into a sea of fire. Among the derailed carriages, more than 10 carriages carried dangerous goods. Chemicals, including flammable vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate, etc. In order to avoid causing a big explosion, the authorities artificially controlled the release of vinyl chloride gas in five carriages on February 6.
After the accident, residents of East Palestine were evacuated and were not allowed to return home until February 8. However, after returning home, many residents reported that there was still a strong odor in the air and symptoms of physical discomfort, including headaches, nausea, and burning eyes. flu, sickness of animals in the home, etc.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources also said that in a stream 12 kilometers away from East Palestine, 3,500 fish had died between the time of the derailment accident and February 8. A resident of Lima also said that he raised five chickens and died suddenly on February 7 (the day after the authorities released the vinyl chloride gas). The news of animal deaths has made residents in areas around East Palestine even more anxious about the impact of chemical pollutants in the air, water and soil on themselves, their families and pets.
Jenna Giannios, a resident of another nearby town, Bosman (Boardman), accepted《CNBC》During the interview, he said that in the 12 days since the derailment accident, he has been coughing continuously, and he did not dare to drink local water sources and drank bottled water to get by, and he also felt uncomfortable when bathing with water from the bathroom faucet. she says:
Vinyl chloride is a carcinogen listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Frequent exposure can cause liver damage and the risk of liver cancer. Sense of coordination, disorientation, headache, nausea and burning sensation.
On February 12, the EPA released a list of chemicals carried on the derailed train. In addition to vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate, it also includes ethylhexyl acrylate. People who come into contact often suffer from headaches, nausea and respiratory problems. In addition, isobutylene , can cause dizziness and drowsiness in the inhaler.
However, Ohio officials said that the concentration of harmful substances in the air detected on February 8 was lower than the safe standard, so the residents of East Palestine were allowed to go home. The residual pollution caused by the incident has reached a worrying level; the EPA also pointed out that as of the evening of February 11, indoor air tests had been carried out on 211 households in East Palestine, and no vinyl chloride residues were found (as of February 12, there were still 218 households were not screened).
The EPA stated that it is still continuously monitoring other chemicals that may be produced by high-temperature combustion or sunlight exposure after the escape of vinyl chloride, such as phosgene (phosgene) and hydrogen chloride. Exposure to phosgene can cause eye irritation and dry throat burning and vomiting; hydrogen chloride can irritate the skin, nose, eyes and throat.
Although the authorities insist that the environment in East Palestine is safe, local residents are still extremely disturbed and angry. In addition, more than 1,000 residents and local business owners have filed at least 4 class action lawsuits against Norfolk Southern Company, alleging that the company was negligent and led to derailment. accident, and required Novotel Southern to fund medical screenings for local residents in case of serious illness that could result from exposure to chemicals on the train.
Residents of East Palestine held a collective meeting on February 15. Mayor Trent Conaway expressed the hope that through the meeting, he would try to reassure all 4,700 citizens and hold Novotel South accountable. He said:
“We need our citizens to feel safe at home…they screwed up our little town and they have to fix it.”
But Novotel Southern did not send staff to the meeting, citing concerns about “violent incidents.” The company issued a statement saying:
Experts expressed concern about the health of East Palestine residents, with the NGO Natural Resources Defense Council reporting toReutersPointing out that the unknown risks left by the derailment accident are far greater than the safety guarantees given by the authorities, Erik Olson, director of the committee, said:
“We haven’t seen any statistical reports on the specific emissions of these chemicals.”
Gerald Poje, a toxicologist who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health, said it may take months or even years to clearly determine the extent of the accident’s impact. Podger pointed out:
Both Olson and Podger worry that polluted soil will eventually lead to polluted groundwater, and even irrigation systems used in agriculture may pump polluted groundwater, thereby harming crops.
In addition to concerns about polluting the environment and endangering the health of local residents and animals,Columbia TelevisionAn anonymous employee of Norfolk Southern reported that the derailed train departed from Madison, Illinois (Madison, Illinois) on February 1, and broke down at least once before passing through East Palestine. The employee who broke the news pointed out that the derailed train weighed 18,000 tons and was 9,300 feet long. The company does not impose a limit on the length of the train, resulting in a significant reduction in the time employees can inspect the entire train.
Norfolk Southern declined to be interviewed for the revelations, saying only in a statement that the weight of the trains was evenly distributed during operation, and that there had been “heavier and longer” trains operating on the same route in the past.
Sarah Feinberg, the former director of the Federal Railways, believes that the derailed train is indeed “too long”. She added that there are many trains with about 80 to 90 carriages in her office. She is already dissatisfied with this and thinks it is not safe enough. And the train that derailed at Novotel South was nearly twice as long (150 carriages).
Feinberg explained that longer trains are more efficient for the railway company, but for employees responsible for mid-way maintenance, it means that the time for inspections is greatly shortened.
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