William Conlin
A Northern Southern train carrying dangerous chemicals derailed in eastern Ohio on Feb. 3, sparking a fire that left East Palestine searching for answers. Concerned about an explosion, authorities established an evacuation zone and conducted a controlled release of poisonous gases to neutralize burning goods inside some of the railway cars.
People were concerned about the impact of the derailment and fire on the environment and the transportation network. Over the following weeks people continue to be sick with an estimated 5 to 10 people contracting symptoms every day.
The Norfolk Southern train was hauling chemicals and combustible items, with vinyl chloride, a dangerous flammable gas, being of particular concern to investigators. People on both sides of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border were advised to leave as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine warned of a probable explosion.
“We know the science indicates that this water is safe, the air is safe. But we also know very understandably that residents of East Palestine are concerned,” Dewine said.
The site is quite close to the Pennsylvania state line, and a sparsely populated portion of Pennsylvania is included in the evacuation zone. Before deciding to deploy the evacuation, officials had given around half of the 4,800 people of East Palestine the weekend to evacuate. Authorities became concerned that the rail cars would erupt after a "drastic temperature shift" was noticed in a rail car, forcing evacuations to start in East Palestine.
“The evacuation of this amount of people could cause problems for other states that have to support these people. Officials might be worried about the toxic chemicals spreading and how that will affect their own citizens. Also what number of people can go to a specific state with the other issues in the surplus of migrants crowding major cities across the country? Just so many factors to consider,” NHS sophomore Connor Child said.
PVC, the hard plastic resin used extensively in construction and healthcare, is made up in part of vinyl chloride, which was being transported in five of the wrecked vehicles. Normally, it is conveyed as a compressed liquid. Shortness of breath and neurological symptoms like headaches and vertigo can both be brought on by inhaling vinyl chloride. The CDC reports that liver damage and cancer have been linked to long-term exposure to high amounts of vinyl chloride.
Vinyl chloride decomposes when burned into gasses such as hydrogen chloride and phosgene. According to the federal dangerous substances register, hydrogen chloride has a strong, unpleasant stench and is corrosive to any tissue that comes into touch with it. If inhaled, phosphorene smells like freshly cut hay and might cause coughing and wheezing.
“ There should be laws and regulations that make sure when toxic chemicals like Vinyl chloride are transported that they are packaged and contained properly, so even if the transport crashes accidentally the product can’t get out,” NHS sophomore Cameron Barr said.
Using early data from hundreds of residences in the town, state and federal officials have consistently claimed that they have not found any harmful amounts of pollutants in the air or municipal water. Officials in Pennsylvania have also tested the private wells close to the disaster site. Yet, chemical odors with hints of glue, nail polish remover, and burning plastic have been there for weeks.
Authorities have emphasized that scents do not always denote toxicity. Some locals are looking for independent tests or are trying to figure out how to perform their own, which is a reflection of the general lack of trust that citizens have in Norfolk Southern and the government, both of which have undertaken testing.
“It seems dangerous that the residents of East Palestine can’t get some clarifying language about whether staying in the area could harm them in some way. Safety should be the number one priority among officials and they have to make decisions that will help protect the lives of the residents. But that decision needs to be made quickly to help as many people as possible,” NHS sophomore Giovanni Rivera said.