- In East Palestine, Ohio, life has returned to near normal for residents, although concerns remain from last year’s train derailment and chemical spill.
- Some residents still have health problems, while others worry about the long-term effects of exposure to dangerous chemicals such as vinyl chloride.
- Although the EPA has declared the air and water safe, some residents remain skeptical after witnessing chemical residue in streams.
Months after a south Norfolk train derailed a year ago, spilling a cocktail of toxic chemicals and igniting a fire, most of the 5,000 or so residents of East Palestine, Ohio, have returned to a near-normal life, but are anxious. And fear is always present.
Back in the village, not far from the Pennsylvania border, people are still complaining of respiratory illnesses, rashes, headaches and feeling sick. At least dozens of people have not returned to their homes, with authorities worried that the cars could explode because of vinyl chloride and other chemicals that were released and burned when the five derailed tank cars were blown up. are doing.
But some people believe the EPA’s findings that the air and water are safe. They say they are ready to move forward and take advantage of all the money the railway and government are investing in the region. They don’t want the derailment to define their town.
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“We’re going to move on with our lives,” said Linda May, a village councilor.
Contractors collect soil samples from the site of a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on March 9, 2023. Months after a south Norfolk train derailed a year ago, spilling a cocktail of hazardous chemicals and starting a fire, life has returned to near normal for most of the town’s 5,000 residents. However, some residents still have health problems. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
It’s just difficult for some residents.
Misty Allison said her 8-year-old son, Blake, has been living in her home for the past year asking if he was going to die or if his nose would continue to bleed, which started to bleed so badly.
“I remember once he jumped into a puddle and he stopped and looked at me and said, ‘Is there vinyl chloride in this puddle?'” That was very sad. said Alison. Allison testified before Congress about the derailment last spring, along with the railroad’s CEO, and then ran unsuccessfully for mayor in an effort to get the town to focus more on health issues. “It really took part of their childhood away from our kids, but I hope it doesn’t take more than that.”
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Sam Chirico said he still has a rash that doctors call chemical dermatitis. I have been prescribed various creams and lotions, but none seem to work. The steroids did help, but being diabetic they raised her blood sugar levels too much, so she stopped using them.
“I’m scarred for life,” Chirico, wearing a shirt that read “East Palestine Strong,” told The Associated Press from his home just a mile from the crash site.
She said she is cautious about talking about her symptoms or posting them online. “If I said anything on social media that I had any symptoms, they would crucify me,” she said.
“Not everyone has a rash like me, and not everyone has a disease or anything like that. If you’re not sick, that’s good, but some people who are. Please be kind to me because I am here,” she said.
Experts say it will likely take years and require extensive research to understand the health effects of the derailment. They point out that it is still impossible to say how many cancers and chronic respiratory diseases may develop in the future.
Dr. Beatrice Golomb, who has already seen people with symptoms similar to health problems developed by veterans who worked around toxic burn scars during the Gulf War, predicts what will happen in East Palestine. He said it was difficult. Spilled chemicals.
“We don’t have good data on individual chemicals and their effects on humans, and we certainly don’t have good data on their combined effects,” said Golomb, who is based at the University of California, San Diego.
On February 3, 2023, dozens of chemicals were spilled and a fire broke out after 38 cars went off the tracks. Federal investigators said the derailment likely occurred due to an overheated bearing that was 253 degrees Fahrenheit above outside temperatures. Although an alarm was raised, the train crew did not give enough warning to stop the train.
Another early health study being conducted in the city by Dr. Erin Haines of the University of Kentucky is showing some promising results. Haynes said blood tests conducted on a small number of residents last summer found alarming levels of carcinogenic dioxins, which are feared to be released when chemicals are burned. He said there was no.
Testing by the Environmental Protection Agency also suggests that it is unlikely that dioxins were released.
However, more research is needed and significant new funding will be required. The National Academy of Sciences held a workshop last fall on concerns in East Palestine, but the federal government has yet to announce any major research grants.
Air and water testing conducted by state and federal health officials since evacuation orders were issued after the derailment was lifted has found more than 115 million measurements of concentrations of vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, and other chemicals. is not shown.
“We’re pretty confident that vinyl chloride won’t trigger long-term health effects,” Mark Dano, the EPA’s response coordinator, told The Associated Press. But he also knows that some people in East Palestine still feel a “crisis of confidence” about test results. When he first returned home after being evacuated, he smelled chemicals that authorities had said were not at toxic levels.
Those suspicions grew over the fall, as residents continued to see a sheen of chemicals on top of the streams flowing through town as they stirred up sediment in the riverbed. Photos of the rainbow-colored wreckage atop Leslie Run and Sulfur Run continue to appear on social media pages dedicated to the derailment.
Dano said tests showed the stream’s surface water is clean, but officials will decide how best to deal with any remaining substances in the sediment, such as lubricating oil. A detailed assessment, which includes stirring the stream bed every 8 feet, has not yet been completed, he said.
Alan Shaw, CEO of Norfolk Southern, said he knows there are many questions in the town about the railroad’s commitment to helping the town recover, but “we’re confident that they will have confidence in it.” is about making promises and keeping promises. And that’s exactly what we’ve done.” It was completed in the past year. ”
Last year, more than 176,000 tons of contaminated soil and 44 million gallons of contaminated water were removed from the area where the derailment occurred. That work was largely completed in October, and crews are currently replacing the soil.
Thousands of tests are conducted to ensure nothing is missed. Barring any surprises, Dano predicted the cleanup would be completed around the middle of this year. Work will then move on to a long-term monitoring project.
For residents who believe in government guarantees and don’t know anyone with health problems, the recovery effort seems like a golden opportunity.
Norfolk South has committed to spending $25 million to renovate the town’s parks and another $4.3 million to upgrade its water treatment system, but East Palestine will have a hard time paying for it on its own. The railroad is also spending $20 million to build a regional training center to prepare first responders to deal with the type of hazardous materials spilled in the derailment.
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The railroad also pledged to create a fund to compensate homeowners for lost value if they sell, and to help pay for future water pollution or health problems. Details of these funds are still being negotiated with state and federal authorities who say they are seeking responsibility for the southern Norfolk disaster.
Former District School District Chief Financial Officer Barb Kreiner said that before the derailment, East Palestine, like many small rural communities, lost many young people as downtown businesses were taken over by big-box stores in surrounding towns. I said we were going downhill. Leave.
“We were struggling,” Kleiner said. “It’s sad that something like this happened, but maybe this is what will save our town, because unfortunately or fortunately for us, the railroad has a lot of money in town. Because we are investing a lot of money.”
