EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who walked along a stream that still reeks of chemicals, tried to reassure skeptical citizens that water is drinkable and breathable air in eastern Palestine, where just under 5,000 people live near the Pennsylvania state border.
“I ask you to accept as true with the government. I know it’s hard. We know there is a lack of acceptance as true,” Regan said. “We’re testing everything that was on that train. “
The head of the U. S. Environmental Protection AgencyThe U. S. Air Force on Thursday saw the toll left by a derailment of a loading exercise in Ohio, where poisonous chemicals were spilled or burned, leaving a stench of new paint only about two weeks later.
Since the derailment, citizens have complained of headaches and eye inflammation and discovered that their cars and gardens were covered in soot. animals
Residents are frustrated that what they say is incomplete and data on the lasting effects of the disaster, which has prompted evacuations.
“I have 3 grandchildren,” said Kathy, who came here with many of her neighbors to a town hall Wednesday where representatives of rail operator Norfolk Southern were conspicuous by their absence. “Will they grow up here in five years and have cancer?
Regan said Thursday that anyone who is afraid to be home gets tested through the government.
“People were upset. They were asked to leave their homes,” he said, adding that if he lived there, he would be willing to bring his circle of relatives back into the domain as long as tests showed it was safe.
Those who attended last night’s briefing had questions about health hazards and demanded more transparency from Norfolk Southern, which did not attend, raising considerations about protecting its staff. Many of those who had waited in a long line outdoors The high school gymnasium left disappointed because they hadn’t heard anything new. Some booed or laughed whenever they heard the town’s mayor or state fitness director assure them that the lingering smells were not dangerous.
“They danced a lot around the questions,” said Danielle Deal, who lives a few miles from the site of the derailment. “Norfolk had to be here. “
At least five lawsuits have been filed against the railway, which announced this week the creation of a multimillion-dollar fund to help the grid as it proceeds to remove pollutants spilled into soil and waterways and monitor air quality.
“We are here and will remain here as long as necessary to ensure your safety and assistance in eastern Palestine and prosper,” Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw said in a letter to the community.
Families who evacuated said they were looking for ways to get the promised financial aid. Beyond that, they want to know if the railroad will be responsible.
State and federal officials have promised Norfolk Southern that they will not only pay for the cleanup, but also reimburse residents.
The White House said federal fitness and emergency response groups and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will go to eastern Palestine.
“We perceive that citizens are worried, just as they are, and have questions. All of this is perceptible,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “And we’re going to get to the bottom of this. “
No one was injured when some 50 cars derailed in a jumble of fire and maimed on the eastern outskirts of Palestine on February 3. Officials seeking to prevent an out-of-control explosion evacuated the domain and opted to release and burn poisonous vinyl chloride from five return cars. flames and black smoke in the sky.
The Ohio EPA said the latest tests show the wells that supply drinking water to the village are free of contaminants.
According to estimates by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, at least 3,500 fish, mostly small fish such as minnows and stingers, have been discovered dead along more than 11. 2 kilometers of waterways.
Precautions are being taken so that contaminants that have reached the Ohio River do not end up in drinking water, officials said.
There have been anecdotal reports that pets or livestock have been sick. No similar animal deaths have been shown and the threat to livestock is low, Ohio officials said, however, the state Department of Agriculture has samples from a calf that died a week after the crash. derailment.
The alleged cause of the derailment is a mechanical problem with the axle of a car. The National Transportation Safety Board said it had a video showing an overheated wheel bearing just before. The NTSB plans to file its initial report in about two weeks.
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