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7 key points about the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment : NPR


Water is pumped into a creek for aeration in East Palestine, Ohio, after a train derailed releasing toxic chemicals.

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Water is pumped into a creek for aeration in East Palestine, Ohio, after a train derailed releasing toxic chemicals.

Angelo Merendino/Getty’s photo

The derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials near an Ohio town earlier this month caused environmental concerns and fear of chemicals for the people — even as government officials work to reassure them.

Dr Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said at a news conference on Tuesday: “From the very beginning, we’ve taken every step we can to ensure that everyone’s safety is paramount. above all.

And as authorities work to assess the damage and investigate the derailment, more information has surfaced this week about chemicals in train carriages, multiple pollutants and carcinogens. Some chemicals – vinyl chloride worth five train cars – are intentionally ignited in a “controlled explosion” last weekcausing the area to be temporarily evacuated.

Here’s what to know about derailleurs and the chemicals involved.

A train carrying toxic substances derailed earlier this month in eastern Ohio, possibly due to a mechanical failure.

On February 3, just before 9 p.m. ET, a Norfolk Southern train derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, a town of about 4,800 people. near the border with Pennsylvania. Officials said no one was injured in the crash.

Most of the 150 carriages carry non-dangerous goods, such as cement, steel and frozen vegetables, officials said. a manifest of derailed cars provided to the Environmental Protection Agency.

But 20 cars contain hazardous materials, according to an update this week from the National Transportation Safety Boardinvestigating the derailment.

Investigators said about three dozen carriages derailed, 11 of which were carrying hazardous materials.

The NTSB’s investigation is not yet complete, but early indications are that a faulty wheel bearing on a train carriage may have caused the derailment, the council said.

Investigators said surveillance video from a home near the crash site captured “what appears to be a wheel bearing in the final stages of overheating before derailment”.

The NTSB said it expected to release its preliminary report in about two weeks.

Some cars carry vinyl chloride, a carcinogen. Other cars contain other harmful substances

Five of the derailed cars were carrying vinyl chloridea man-made substance that is the main ingredient in PVC, a hard plastic widely used in construction and healthcare.

At room temperature, vinyl chloride is a colorless gas with an aromatic odor. It is usually shipped as a compressed liquid.

Inhaling vinyl chloride can cause respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, along with neurological symptoms such as headache and dizziness. Long-term exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride has been linked to liver damage and cancer. According to CDC.

This week, EPA has released part of Norfolk Southern’s manifest which details other dangerous chemicals on board, including ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene. All can cause irritation or neurological symptoms such as dizziness and headaches.

One tank truck has lost all of its butyl acrylate, a clear liquid used to make paints, adhesives and sealants. New Jersey Department of Health warns Exposure to butyl acrylate can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and irritation of the nose, throat, and lungs.

To avoid a catastrophic explosion, officials evacuated residents and purposely set some chemicals on fire

On the weekend after the derailment, firefighters worked to contain the fire caused by the derailment.

Authorities were ultimately concerned about rising temperatures inside a single carriage, which they worried could trigger a catastrophic explosion that sent debris flying for miles.

Governor Mike DeWine said at a news conference on Tuesday: “The risk of a vehicle exploding has been described to me as very high.

Ultimately, officials decided to pursue the “controlled release” of volatile vinyl chloride. Because burning vinyl chloride can produce other harmful chemicals, including hydrogen chloride and phosgene, officials ordered the evacuation of a 1×2-mile area around East Palestine, on both sides of the line. state circles.

On February 6, teams dropped vinyl chloride from derailed cars into a trench, where they ignited it in a “controlled explosion,” causing a huge column of black smoke.

The fire was finally extinguished on 8 February, after which the evacuation order was lifted. Officials said the air quality was measured and deemed safe before allowing residents to return home.

Smoke rises from a train that derailed on February 4, a day after the accident.

Dustin Franz/AFP via Getty Images


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Dustin Franz/AFP via Getty Images


Smoke rises from a train that derailed on February 4, a day after the accident.

Dustin Franz/AFP via Getty Images

EPA says air in East Palestine is safe

The EPA had staff on site since a few hours shortly after the derailment.

Since the fire was extinguished, air monitoring conducted by the EPA has failed to detect “any level of health concern” in the area associated with the derailment. the agency said this week.

In addition to monitoring outdoor air, the agency has screened indoor air in more than 450 homes. The EPA says no vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride detections have been identified.

“The good news is, at a time when we are at the decisive moment in potentially returning those who have been evacuated back to the affected area, we have conducted air tests and the results tell us that the atmosphere is really like it was before this event,” said Vanderhoff of the Ohio Department of Health.

Officials say residents in East Palestine should use bottled water until further testing of drinking water can be completed.

Water samples taken last week showed “very low levels” of the two contaminants butyl acrylate and ethyl hexyl acrylate – from a derailment in a creek that flows through East Palestine, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency reports. Additionally, no vinyl chloride has been detected in the waterways, officials said.

As of Tuesday, the state is still awaiting the results of a municipal water test in the East Palestine region. Until then, officials say residents should consider using bottled water.

State and local officials have urged those with private wells to have their water tested. This week, the EPA said it has collected samples from 21 wells to date.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimated the chemical release caused the deaths of 3,500 fish in the days following the derailment. Department officials say there has been no evidence of an increase in fish deaths since those early days and no signs of harm to other types of animals.

EPA Ohio director Anne Vogel said Tuesday that a range of contaminants released in the initial derailment reached the Ohio River. But a series of containment measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of drinking water.

“The Ohio River is huge and is a body of water that has the ability to dilute pollutants very quickly,” says Vogel. “We’re pretty confident that these lows won’t be passed on to customers.”

Some residents of East Palestine say they still feel unsafe

After the accident, some residents were complains of strong odors, headaches, and nausea. Although many people have returned home since the evacuation order was lifted, some told NPR that they feel worried about the quality of the air and drinking water.

Dianna Elzer, whose home is about 600 meters from the scene, said: “Everything is almost back to normal, except we all have this cloud of danger looming, not knowing what will happen to us. our future, hanging over our heads.”

“Cloud” is metaphorical, she explains – the weather has been windy and sunny lately.

But the situation left her sleepless as she kept trying to find more information about the derailment and the chemicals involved. She shared that information on a neighborhood Facebook group.

She said she watched press conferences with EPA officials and the governor encouraging residents to return home, but remained doubtful about her long-term safety.

“It’s not really reassuring that they’re going to say, ‘Oh, everything’s good,’ because we won’t know the real ramifications of the impact on the environment for a while,” she said. .

Maggie Guglielmo, owner of a small wristband manufacturing company, said her business has had a strong odor since the derailment, although it has subsided over time.

“I wear an N95 mask when I go in, but I can still smell these things,” she said. “I also wear goggles, but it still bothers me.”

This week, she said, an EPA inspection team found the air quality inside the building to be safe. But she is waiting for the results of the private air assessment, which she paid out of pocket.

Ohio Governor Is Calling Congress to Change Dangerous Goods Notification Requirements

Because most carriages carry non-hazardous materials, Norfolk Southern is not subject to a law that requires it to notify Ohio officials of the contents of the train. On Tuesday, DeWine called on Congress to consider changes to dangerous goods notification requirements.

“Honestly, if this is true – and I have been told it is – then it makes no sense,” DeWine said. “We should know when a train carrying hazardous materials is going through Ohio.”

Additional reporting by Alejandra Marquez Janse of NPR.

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