What happened in Ohio and will you be affected by the chemicals released?

On February 3rd, A Norfolk South transporting a vast amount of chemicals on roughly 141 railcars derailed in East Palestine, Ohio leading to one of the worst environmental disasters the state has seen in decades. But what’s truth and what’s fiction? 

According to reporting from The Washington Post, the Norfolk South train derailment occurred around 9:00 pm roughly half a mile from East Palestine, a town of more than 4700 residents. 

More worrying than the derailment itself was the fact that many of the train's railcars were laden with extremely dangerous, flammable, and toxic chemicals. 

“Eleven of the derailed cars contained hazardous materials, some of which are used to make plastics,” wrote journalists from The Washington Post. 

“Vinyl chloride,” the journalists continued, “a cancer-causing substance, was among the primary chemicals released in the crash, according to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency spokesman James Lee.”

The Washington Post added that vinyl chloride is known to release other harmful chemicals as it burns, which can be extremely harmful to humans if they come in contact with them.  

“Exposure to these chemicals can cause eye or throat irritation, as well as dizziness, nausea or headache,” the journalists warned. 

Two days after the derailment, disaster crews began to worry about the possibility of an explosion and decided to conduct a controlled release of the railcars that contained vinyl chloride according to The Guardian’s Tom Perkins. 

On February 6th, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine authorized state officials to perform a controlled release from five of the train cars that derailed according to Julianna Kim of NPR. 

DeWine ordered all residents living within a mile radius of the disaster site to evacuate. The evacuation order was later increased to a two-mile radius, which Kim noted included residents from Pennsylvania. 

"We had to weigh different risks with no great choices," Governor DeWine said during a February 6th press conference. 

Since the controlled release, residents have reported a number of ongoing issues that have had many worried about their safety in East Palestine as they’ve returned to their homes and have tried to move on. 

“In the immediate vicinity and in pockets throughout the city, a potent chemical odor hangs in the air,” wrote Tom Perkins. 

Perkins added that residents of East Palestine have complained about a smell of bleach or turpentine that sticks in their noses. “Breathing it in for a few minutes may leave a metallic taste ‘like pennies’.”

“In recent days, some have reported dead pets or foxes, and the birds or outdoor cats they feed have disappeared," Perkins added. "A chemical sheen still coats parts of small creeks that run through town, and dead fish have been found throughout local waterways as the pollution plume moves downstream."

Residents have expressed their concerns after returning to East Palestine, with some worrying that they've been exposed to the remnants of the chemicals that were spilled during the derailment or released earlier in the month. 

“I can’t help but feel like I’m slowly poisoning my kids by staying,” Candice Desanzino told The Guardian. “When I smell that chemical smell it takes me back to when all this happened, and I panic and get anxiety from it.”

In Canada, a spokesperson for the department of Environment and Climate Change issued a statement assuring Canadians in Southern Ontario that they had nothing to worry about. 

“Typically, the chemical involved in the controlled release to the air, vinyl chloride, only lasts in the atmosphere for less than 24 hours,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.

“With Southern Ontario being directly north and northwest of the event location, and with the prevailing winds being from the west and southwest, it would have been highly unlikely that the region would have seen any effect,” the statement continued. 

Governor DeWine has allowed residents to return to East Palestine and the Environmental Protection Agency has been monitoring the situation 24 hours a day, so it is unlikely the chemical release will affect you—even if you live within two miles of the derailment. 

While officials at Norfolk South and every level of government are saying the situation is under control, residents of the city are still reporting problems. Famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich is now involved and you should expect to hear more in the coming weeks about the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.