Ohio derailment: How worried should people be?

@curtonews Clouds of smoke, dead animals, contaminated water. How worried should people be about the derailment in Ohio? 🤔 #TikTokNews #Ohio ♬ original sound – Curto News

Train that derailed in the USA raises alert after releasing toxic material into the atmosphere

A 150-car train derailed on February 3 in Est Palestine, in the state of Ohio, in the United States. The fact in itself is already impressive, but one detail left the entire international community on alert: 20 wagons carried highly toxic materials of a substance called vinyl chloride. The accident caused a large explosion, spreading flammable and carcinogenic material throughout the region. Around two thousand people had to leave their homes and are beginning to return out of fear that the environment is not safe.

The derailment and chemical spill in the town of East Palestine, Ohio, was a true nightmare. After the train went off the tracks on Feb. 3, starting a massive fire, authorities decided to intentionally burn the chemical cargo in some of the cars rather than risk an explosion or other uncontrolled disaster.

Five of the burned cars were transporting vinyl chloride, a colorless gas used in the manufacture of plastic products that can cause dizziness, headache and drowsiness when inhaled in curto term and a rare form of liver cancer following chronic exposure. 😨

More than a week after the disaster, concerns about air quality and dangerous chemicals on board the train led some residents to leave the city, and authorities ordered an immediate evacuation of the area.

O National Transportation Safety Board (🇬🇧) – the authority responsible for conducting an investigation to determine the probable cause of the derailment and issuing any safety recommendations – said its investigation into the causes of the derailment continues. The Environmental Protection Agency said it is monitoring the air in and around buildings and has not detected any harmful gases in homes so far. 

But what do we know so far? 🤔

Was the controlled burn safe?

Environmental experts say monitors detected toxins in the air at the site during the controlled burn and that officials kept people away until it dissipated. They say ongoing air monitoring for the railroad and by government agencies — including testing inside nearly 400 homes — has not detected dangerous levels in the area since residents were allowed to return. The US Environmental Protection Agency shared air monitoring results onlinesystem. (🇬🇧)

What are the ongoing concerns?

There is great concern about the long-term effects caused by exposure to chemicals.

The city will hold a meeting Wednesday to hear questions from residents who are concerned about persistent smells and pets and livestock that appear sick or have died since the derailment. 😔

What about soil and water?

The chemicals leaked into some waterways and were toxic to fish, but authorities said drinking water remained protected.

Besides the vinyl chloride, at least three other substances – butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate e ethylene glycol monobutyl ether — were released into the air, soil or water, according to a letter written by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency informing rail operator Norfolk Southern of its responsibility for cleanup costs.

In response, Norfolk Southern has included efforts to remove contaminants spilled onto the ground surface and nearby streams, as well as air quality monitoring, soil sampling and surveys of residential water wells, according to your preliminary plansystem. (🇬🇧)

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates the spill affected about seven miles of streams and killed about 11 fish. 😔

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