Everything we know about the Ohio train derailment

NEWS

A cargo train heading from Pennsylvania to Illinois carrying 20 cars of  hazardous chemicals, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.

Residents within a mile of the train crossing at James Street in East Palestine were ordered to evacuate while everyone else was told to shelter in place until the fire was extinguished.

The evacuation area covered roughly 1,500 to 2,000 of the village’s nearly 5,000 residents

The main chemical burned was vinyl chloride, an ingredient used to produce plastics and PVC, which has been shown to cause cancer at high levels of exposure.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), other chemicals released during the blaze were ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether - which can cause shortness of breath, burning in the skin and eyes, coughing, headaches, nausea and other symptoms.

Five days after the derailment, air and water samples were analyzed overnight and deemed safe as residents were told to return to their homes.

Days after residents were allowed back into their homes, Animals and wildlife around the area started to become sick and die - causing residents to question if they were safe in their homes.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has estimated 3,500 fish died across 7.5 miles of streams in the first five days after the burn.

Ohio Humane Society officials are being flooded with sick animal calls as well.

Teresa McGuire, the executive director of Columbiana County Humane Society said she has received unconfirmed reports of chickens and dogs bearing what appear to be chemical burns.

Teresa McGuireColumbiana County Humane Society Executive Director

“My phone is just going all day.”

Local fox and chicken keepers have also reported their animals becoming sluggish, losing feathers and dying — some miles away from the crash site.

There have also been some anecdotal reports of residents suffering severe headaches and wooziness in the wreck’s hellish wake, as well as sore throats.

Residents living near the site are also speaking up against the Biden Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their response to the crisis.

Nick SortorVideo journalist

“The sentiment from the residents seems to be they’re super annoyed at how the federal government, how the Biden administration in particular is handling the situation.”

Norfolk Southern employees who are fimular with the derailment claim the weight likely contributed to its initial breakdown and derailment.

The train totaled 151 cars — equating to about 9,300 feet in length — and weighed 18,000 tons, which is much larger than employees said was safe.

Norfolk Southern employee

“In this case, had the train not been 18,000 tons, it’s likely the effects of the derailment would have been mitigated.”

The National Transportation Safety Board said it expects to have a preliminary report on the accident in four to six weeks, with the full investigation taking 18 to 24 months.

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