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Plumes of smoke, questions about dead animals, worries about the drinking water. A train derailment in Ohio and subsequent burning of some of the hazardous chemicals has people asking: how worried should they be?
It’s been more than a week since about 50 cars of a freight train derailed in a fiery, mangled mess on the outskirts of East Palestine near the Pennsylvania state line, apparently because of a mechanical issue with a rail car axle. No one was injured in that wreck. But concerns about air quality and the hazardous chemicals on board the train prompted some village residents to leave, and officials later ordered the evacuation of the immediate area as fears grew about a potential explosion of smoldering wreckage.
Officials seeking to avoid the danger of an uncontrolled blast chose to intentionally release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke again billowing high into the sky. The jarring scene left people questioning the potential health impacts for residents in the area and beyond, even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people.
In the days since, residents’ concerns and questions have only abounded — amplified, in part, by misinformation spreading online.
More on what we know:
WAS THE CONTROLLED BURN SAFE?
Vinyl chloride is associated with increased risk of certain cancers, and officials at the time warned burning it would release two concerning gases — hydrogen chloride and phosgene, which was used as a weapon in World War I. Environmental officials say that monitors detected toxins in the air at the site during the controlled burn and that officials kept people away until that dissipated. They say continuing air monitoring done for the railroad and by government agencies hasn’t detected dangerous levels in the area — including during testing inside nearly 400 homes — since residents were allowed to return. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has shared air monitoring results online.
WHAT ARE THE CONTINUING CONCERNS?
Even in communities beyond East Palestine, some residents say they worry about long-term effects of even low-grade exposure to contaminants from the site.
