Ohio train derailment sparks mounting health and environmental concerns
East Palestine, Ohio - Concerns of long-term environmental and health effects are mounting after a train containing toxic chemicals went off its tracks in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month.
On February 3, a 50-car Norfolk Southern freight train went off its rails in Ohio, sparking a days-long fire.
Ten of the cars were carrying dangerous chemicals, including butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride, which released toxic fumes and sparked fears of a major explosion.
A list of chemicals provided by Norfolk Southern and published on Sunday reveals that ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene were also present in the cars. The former can cause headaches, nausea, and breathing problems, while the latter can result in dizziness and drowsiness.
Authorities are particularly concerned about the vinyl chloride, a carcinogen that releases other harmful substances when burned which can result in eye irritation, a burning sensation in the throat, vomiting, and other symptoms. It can also lead to a host of long-term health conditions.
Evacuation order lifted despite concerns
Residents were asked to evacuate as experts conducted a controlled release of the chemicals. Though the evacuation order was lifted on Wednesday, residents returning to their homes have called into question the safety of the area with reports of a burning feeling in their eyes, animals getting sick, and an unpleasant smell permeating the town, according to NPR.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it has not found "any levels of concern" in its air screenings in East Palestine. Officials have not detected vinyl chloride and hydrogen chloride in any of the 291 homes they have tested so far, though they still had 181 to go as of Monday.
Local officials in East Palestine have also said the water is safe to drink and the air is safe to breathe.
Workers and residents blame rail companies for the train wreck
Some residents of East Palestine have already filed suit against Norfolk Southern, accusing the company of negligence and demanding it pay for medical screenings for serious illnesses that may result from exposure to toxic chemicals.
Railroad Workers United (RWU), a cross-union group representing rank-and-file rail employees, has also cast blame on profit-hungry private corporations for accidents like the one in East Palestine.
RWU noted that the derailment was the result of dangerous scheduling practices with ever-longer and ever-heavier trains – a scheme designed to maximize profits at the expense of human safety.
"At this time, the immediate cause of the wreck appears to have been a 19th century style mechanical failure of the axle on one of the cars – an overheated bearing – leading to derailment and then jackknifing tumbling cars," the group wrote in a press release. "There is no way in the 21st century, save from a combination of incompetence and disregard to public safety, that such a defect should still be threatening our communities."
RWU warns that more deadly accidents are likely to occur in future unless the US government takes a meaningful stand against corporate greed.
Cover photo: DUSTIN FRANZ / AFP