How dangerous is the chemical cocktail in Ohio train derailment? Residents complain of headache, cough and dizziness
EAST PALESTINE, OHIO: East Palestine residents are in fear for their health after a train carrying toxic chemicals crashed. As many as 50 Norfolk Southern Railroad freight train cars derailed in Columbiana County on Friday, February 3, at around 9 pm. A major fire started near the track. The railroad company resorted to a controlled release of cancer-causing chemicals on February 6 in order to prevent a possible explosion.
Prior to the gases being released, hundreds of East Palestine residents were evacuated and moved from their homes. However, they have now been told it is safe to return. The toxic gases released after the train derailment include vinyl chloride, isobutylene, ethylhexyl acrylate, and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether.
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How dangerous are the gases released?
Vinyl chloride is an extremely toxic manmade gas that can increase the list of several cancers. It can enter a person's body by breathing in, and via contaminated drinking water. As the chemical travels through the blood, the liver breaks it down into other forms of chemicals, some of which can cause more damage than vinyl chloride itself. Breathing in high levels of gas can make one dizzy and have a headache.
A person may suffer nerve and liver damage and be left with a weak immune system if they breathe in the chemical for years. The gas can cause an increased risk of rare liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma), primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), brain and lung cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia. When vinyl chloride is burned, it creates hydrogen chloride and phosgene, which may cause vomiting and certain breathing trouble.
Isobutylene causes dizziness and drowsiness in a person who breathes it in. A person may go into a coma or die depending on the level of exposure to this gas. Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether causes irritation in the eyes, skin, and even the respiratory tract. Being exposed to it repeatedly can cause the skin to dry out and crack. Contact with ethylhexyl acrylate, a carcinogen, can lead to burning and irritation on the skin and in the eyes.
"We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open." He added that residents should go for a health check-up. "Get a record now of where your health stands so that moving forward, you'll have documentation of any possibly related effects to the train derailment," a hazardous materials specialist, and former fire department chief Sil Caggiano told WKBN 27 First News.
What problems are residents facing?
East Palestine resident Melissa Henry told the Associated Press her youngest son's "eyes turned red as tomato and he was coughing a lot." The family was later evacuated to her parent's house outside the evacuation zone. Another resident who lives in North Lima, about ten miles from where the derailment occurred, said six of her chickens died.
A registered fox keeper who lives outside the evacuation perimeter, Taylor Holzer, told WKBN that one of his foxes died and all the others were ill. Dead fish were found in waterways around the scene after the derailment took place.
Erin Brockovich asks Biden administration to 'step up'
Meanwhile, environment activist Erin Brockovich has demanded that the Joe Biden Administration "step up" after the incident. "Doing better than your predecessor, is not doing enough. The Biden administration needs to get more involved in this #PalestineOhio train derailment now. We are counting on you to break the chain of administration after administration to turn a blind eye," Brockovich wrote on Twitter.
Doing better than your predecessor, is not doing enough.
— Erin Brockovich (@ErinBrockovich) February 13, 2023
The Biden administration needs to get more involved in this #PalestineOhio train derailment now.
We are counting on you to break the chain of administration after administration to turn a blind eye.
STEP UP NOW.
Brockovich wrote in another post, "I’m trying to gather information on this very serious situation in Ohio involving a train derailment with hazardous chemicals. What I will say is this. Trust your eyes, ears and nose and get the hell out of there if your senses are telling you too."
I’m trying to gather information on this very serious situation in Ohio involving a train derailment with hazardous chemicals.
— Erin Brockovich (@ErinBrockovich) February 11, 2023
What I will say is this. Trust your eyes, ears and nose and get the hell out of there if your senses are telling you too.
People who were evacuated are now allowed to return to their homes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reportedly monitoring the air and drinking quality of the surrounding area.