On February 3, a massive train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio caused an environmental disaster.
The derailment of the Norfolk Southern train led to a subsequent intentional explosion of the chemicals which the company insisted weren’t very dangerous at the time.
However, according to officials, the derailment of the East Palestinian train caused a mass illness in investigators who were sent to look into it.
Investigators Get Sick
In the aftermath of this incident in Ohio, videos emerged of the river bubbling and dead wildlife. Half of those from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looking into it also got sick.
Seven of the 15 members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service who were sent to investigate the damage are now suffering from ill health after they began inspecting homes near the incident.
The CDC confirmed that affected members have now returned to active duty and no longer have severe symptoms.
Nearly half of CDC workers doing door-to-door surveys in East Palestine got sick with similar symptoms residents reported after the toxic train derailment even though government officials and representatives from Norfolk Southern declared everything safe.…
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 3, 2023
What Was in the Train Cars?
The most inflammatory material contained in five cars of the derailed train is vinyl chloride. This material is common in the manufacture of PVC plastic piping.
The gas of this chemical component is so dangerous that it is capable of causing cancer if inhaled in large quantities. The most common symptoms among infected limbs were sore throats, coughs, headaches, and nausea.
The controlled burning of the products of the train derailment has caused strong odors in the city, but the long-term effects remain to be seen.
About a month after the catastrophe, the Ohio Department of Health released the serious results to the local population.
The department’s research points out more than half of the respondents suffered symptoms such as anxiety, headaches, fatigue, skin irritation, and coughs after the train incident.
Campus Reform Correspondent @maddiekirshnerr spoke with college students in East Palestine.
Listen to what this student had to say about his experience involving the recent train derailment pic.twitter.com/BpBk0lwb3Q
— Campus Reform (@campusreform) April 4, 2023
The Bottom Line
Norfolk Southern will face a lawsuit this Friday, April 7. They’re being sued for the illegal discharge of highly inflammatory substances into Ohio’s atmosphere.
There are several harmful substances in addition to vinyl chloride including ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene, ethylene glycol mono butyl ether, butyl acrylate, and benzene residue.
Norfolk Southern’s CEO Alan Shaw already spoke out and has not taken responsibility for anything yet. He also has not made clear how the company will position itself on all the charges.
The train derailment was much worse than most people thought and the long-term health effects still remain to be seen.
This article appeared in FreshOffThePress and has been published here with permission.
