More than a week ago on February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying multiple hazardous chemicals in 20 boxcars derailed in the Ohio town of East Palestine, igniting a massive explosion. The presence of hazardous materials kept the firefighters away for days. Though no one was injured in the original crash, the incident forced authorities to warn of a possible "major explosion," reports CNN.
Hundreds of people in East Palestine, which has a population of about 5,000, were evacuated as authorities planned to conduct a controlled burn to prevent another blast. After conducting a "controlled release" of vinyl chloride from five of the rail cars, authorities assured residents that it was safe to return, reports The Washington Post.
But the release of highly toxic vinyl chloride gas has created phosgene and hydrogen chloride across the town, with several people sharing photos and videos on social media of large plumes.
East Palestine, Ohio, is undergoing an ecological disaster because authorities blew up five of the derailed boxcars carrying hazardous chemicals and at least one local journalist was arrested for trying to report the story.
The soot released by the initial explosion and the subsequent controlled-burn explosion is so toxic that the firemen who worked the blaze are being told to destroy their gear and several cities, including Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, are donating new gear to the East Palestine fire department.
This prompted a concerned tweet from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green
East Palestine, Ohio is undergoing an ecological disaster bc authorities blew up the train derailment cars carrying hazardous chemicals and press are being arrested for trying to tell the story. Oh but UFO’s! What is going on?
As you can see from her tweet, Green insinuated that the government may be using the hullabaloo over UFOs to distract people’s attention away from the situation in Ohio.
And people are starting to ask questions about why there has been a near-total media blackout about this story. Those reports that have been posted are back page and make it sound like everything was handled and there is no danger to anyone’s health.
Nothing could be further from the truth. There have been reports of dead animals and mass fish kills.
The vinyl Chloride spilled into the ground water and into several creeks, including Sulpher Run, Leslie Run, Bull Creek and Little Beaver Creek, which drains into the Ohio River.
Watch this video from a woman who is from the area and getting information from the residents who say the truth about what is going on in East Palestine is being covered up. (warning, she uses harsh language).
A local ABC affiliate, WYTV 33, interviewed hazardous chemicals expert Sill Caggiano, who told the outlet, “We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.”
'We basically nuked the town': Hundreds of residents in Ohio village demand urgent testing of their homes after train wreck released toxic chemicals into the air - and officials tell them it's safe to return
Lewis Pennock For Dailymail.Com
Residents evacuated from an Ohio village where a freight train derailed before huge clouds of toxic gasses were released in an explosion fear they could still be in danger nearly two weeks later, despite authorities telling them it's safe to return home.
About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a fiery crash in East Palestine at about 9pm on Friday, February 3.
Houses were evacuated after vinyl chloride was slowly released from five of those cars. Authorities then ignited the gases for a 'controlled release' of the highly flammable, toxic chemicals in a controlled environment, creating a dark plume of smoke.
Officials warned the controlled burn would send phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air. Phosgene is a highly toxic, colorless gas with a strong odor that can cause vomiting and breathing trouble and was used as a weapon in World War I.
Despite the threat, safety officials insisted it is safe for residents who were evacuated to return to their homes just days later.
Sil Caggiano, a hazardous materials specialist and former fire department chief, said he was 'surprised' residents were allowed to return home so quickly before all of their homes were tested.
'I would've far rather they did all the testing [first],' he said. 'There's a lot of what ifs, and we're going to be looking at this thing 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the line and wondering, 'Gee, cancer clusters could pop up, you know, well water could go bad.'
He added: 'We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.'
Several residents have opted to stay away from East Palestine over claims they haven't been given sufficient information or safety assurances.
Some said a chemical smell still lingers in the area and claim they've had symptoms which include trouble breathing and burning eyes. Dead fish were spotted in waterways around the scene after the incident.
Dramatic pictures and footage of the incident showed a huge fire after the derailment, which left railcars and debris strewn across the area.
Homes were evacuated and officials undertook the 'controlled release' of the vinyl chloride inside the rail cars on Monday, over fears it could explode.
When authorities burned the chemicals, a massive plume of black smoke was released over East Palestine. Residents were told they could return on Wednesday
James Justice, of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said a network of air station monitors inside and outside the evacuation zone was collecting samples and that none of their readings found anything to be concerned about.
'Don't tell me it's safe': Residents of East Palestine express fears about returning after it's revealed there were more toxic chemicals on derailed Ohio train than originally reported and thousands of livestock left dead
MELISSA KOENIG FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
The evacuation orders were lifted last week, with the Environmental Protection Agency reporting the area was safe.
But as residents return to their homes, some are reporting burning sensations and persistent coughs. Local farmers have also claimed that livestock are suddenly dropping dead, as state officials say that more than 3,000 fish across seven and a half miles of streams have died.
It has now been revealed that even more toxic chemicals were on board the freight train than had previously been reported, as the United States Environmental Protection Agency warns that chemicals are continuing to be released 'to the air, surface soils and surface waters.'
'Don't tell me it's safe,' Cathey Reese, who lives in Negley, Ohio — just north of East Palestine —told WPXI of Pittsburgh last week. 'Something is going on if the fish are floating in the creek.'
Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources have said that a chemical spill related to the train derailment killed an estimated 3,500 small fish across seven and a half miles of streams.
Meanwhile, one resident of North Lima, more than 10 miles away, said that her five hens and rooster died suddenly after train operator Norfolk Southern burned the cars that were carrying vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen.
Meanwhile, one resident of North Lima, more than 10 miles away, said that her five hens and rooster died suddenly after train operator Norfolk Southern burned the cars that were carrying vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen.
And Jenna Giannios, 39, a wedding photographer in nearby Boardman said she has had a persistent cough for the past week and a half.
She has only been drinking bottled water and is uncomfortable using tap water to bathe.
'They only evacuated only one mile from that space, and that's just insane to me,' Giannios, who set up a Facebook page for residents to vent their frustrations, told NBC News.
Sil Caggiano, a hazardous materials specialist and former fire department chief, also said he was 'surprised' residents were allowed to return home so quickly before all of their homes were tested.
'I would've far rather they did all the testing [first],' he said. 'There's a lot of what ifs, and we're going to be looking at this thing 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the line and wondering, 'Gee, cancer clusters could pop up, you know, well water could go bad.'
He added: 'We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.'
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