Ohio Train Derailment Sparks Health and Environmental Concerns
Flames filled the night sky as the train derailed and first responders rushed to the scene. Photo by Coal And Steel Railroad Photography via Flickr.
On Friday, Feb. 3, a train traveling from Madison, Illinois derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, sparking a massive chemical fire. The train caught fire and a chemical fire raged through the weekend, covering the sky in thick black smoke.
50 of the 100 cars derailed from the track and caught fire in surrounding fields and trees. Fearing a “catastrophic” explosion, the crew allowed a controlled burn to release hazardous chemicals from five cars of a train that derailed, according to NPR. The train was transporting highly hazardous chemicals including hydrogen chloride and vinyl chloride — all of which are toxic and have potentially life-threatening effects.
Officials have reported no injuries or deaths in the train disaster, and by Sunday an evacuation notice was put into effect. East Palestine, Ohio is a small village of just under five thousand residents bordering Pennsylvania.
Although many residents of East Palestine are now allowed to return home to their homes, many fear the possible health risks of returning to the area after the chemical catastrophe. According to The New York Times, some residents said that fish and frogs were dying in local streams. Others shared images of dead animals or said they smelled chemical odors in the area.
However, as reported by ABC News, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Feb. 13 that they had not yet “detected any concerning levels of toxins in the air quality that can be attributed to the crash since the controlled burn was complete.”
Some residents are distrustful that returning home is as safe as local officials are indicating. East Palestine resident Linda Murphy said, “There were several dead fish floating at multiple locations. That is what we bathe in. That's what we drink. That's what we cook with. And they could not reassure me that the water was safe to drink.”
The effects of this disaster are still being assessed, though it’s clear the fire took a toll on everything from soil to wildlife populations. NBC News reported that “the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the chemical spill resulting from the derailment had killed an estimated 3,500 small fish across 7.5 miles of streams,” just days after the derailment.
A report by ABC 27 found that a woman living over 11 miles away from East Palestine “was going to feed her five hens and rooster … when she discovered them all lifeless, practically in the same position, with no signs of a predator entering their enclosure.” The woman, Amanda Breshears, added, “if it can do this to chickens in one night, imagine what it’s going to do to us in 20 years.”
Lawsuits have already been filed against Norfolk Southern, the company which owned the train.