Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, who were impacted by a train derailment on February 3, 2023, are at risk of exposure to toxic chemicals despite assurances by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the area is safe to live in.
According to a recent assessment by Texas A&M and Carnegie Mellon University, "higher than normal" levels of several hazardous chemicals were found in the town's air.
The report revealed the presence of acrolein, benzene, vinyl chloride, butadiene, naphthalene, o-Xylene, trichloroethylene, trichloroethane, and p-Xylene. Acrolein, in particular, poses the biggest risk to the residents, as it was found to have the highest level above the limit considered safe.
East Palestine resident, Wade Lovett, expressed his respiratory problems, stating, "My voice sounds like Mickey Mouse. My normal voice is low. It's hard to breathe, especially at night. My chest hurts so much at night I feel like I'm drowning. I cough up phlegm a lot." He also added that his health issues caused him to lose his job.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), acrolein exposure can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, and organs, as well as chronic respiratory disease. Benzene, another dangerous industrial chemical found by researchers, can bring severe symptoms, including dizziness, irregular heartbeat, and even death.
Despite the EPA's claim that they found an average of just 0.00084 milligrams per cubic meter in East Palestine, the Texas A&M researchers discovered 0.03 milligrams per cubic meter. Butadiene, a toxic gas, was also found in the air of the northeastern Ohio town, and exposure to it can cause various symptoms like dizziness, nausea, and decreased blood pressure.
The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) categorizes butadiene as a "potential occupational carcinogen." Other hazardous substances found by the researchers include naphthalene, o-Xylene, p-Xylene, trichloroethylene, trichloroethane, vinyl chloride, and phosgene.
Several residents and clean-up workers have reported feeling sick since the derailment occurred due to Norfolk Southern engineers failing to stop the train despite three audible bearing heat detector warnings going off. Melissa Blake, who lives less than a mile from the disaster site, began experiencing breathing difficulties and coughing up gray mucus two days after the derailment. Doctors diagnosed her with "acute bronchitis due to chemical fumes," she now uses a breathing machine, an oxygen tank, and three different steroid treatments.
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