Ohio health officials are setting up a clinic to treat residents suffering from the effects of the February 3 catastrophic train derailment.
The announcement comes after residents reported an increase in the disease, despite officials ruling that no health hazards had been detected in the city’s water or air. Some have reported burning eyes, loose stools and headaches since the accident.
Toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, benzene and isobutylene, spilled after Norfolk Southern’s 32N train derailed near the small town on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
Substances released during the incident may produce symptoms consistent with nausea, dizziness and shortness of breath experienced by residents since the incident.
Michael Regan, head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), took two weeks to visit the community. Meanwhile, Republicans are calling for Transport Minister Pete Buttigieg to resign over his handling of the derailment.
The chemicals on board the train were vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, residual benzene, glycol monobutyl ether, ethyl hexyl acrylate and isobutylene
Residents in eastern Palestine and beyond report a wave of absence weeks after the explosion.
Raven Ramsey, who lives in Niles, Ohio, about 27 miles from eastern Palestine, said on Facebook: “All three of my children have had coughs, watery, swollen eyes, nausea and headaches.”
She added: “I’m worried and I don’t know where to go or where to start.”
On board the derailed trains were six toxic chemicals, two of which are known to cause cancer and, if inhaled, can cause nose and eye irritation and headaches.
Melissa Ryan, a mother of two who lives six miles from the derailment, said a “huge black cloud” hung directly over her home.
“We were away for the weekend of the derailment, but when I came back this Sunday, my eyes started to sting and have done ever since. I cough, my two children cough.
“They go to the pediatrician to listen to their lungs. I’m exhausted.’
She added: “Since we are out of miles, there is absolutely no help for us.”
Another resident said: “We live about 10 km away, household with severe headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath.”
East Palestine resident Candice DeSanzo evacuated the area with her five sons after the derailment, but returned when federal authorities lifted the evacuation order.
The new health clinic opens on Tuesday, but residents can make appointments as early as Monday.
Registered nurses and mental health specialists will oversee two assessment rooms at First Church of Christ, East Palestine.
A mobile unit outside the church operated by the Columbiana County Community Action Agency will offer additional appointments.
A toxicologist will also be on site or available by phone and referral will be made if necessary.
Neil Figley, 28, holds his daughter Harlie, 4, as they wait in line at the Norfolk Southern Assistance Center to collect a $1,000 check and receive a refund as they leave eastern Palestine on February 17, 2023, in Ohio vacate
The toxic train derailed in a fiery crash on February 3, forcing authorities to evacuate the area around East Palestine, Ohio
Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said: “I was in eastern Palestine last week and listened to many of the area’s residents express their concerns and fears.
“I heard you, the state heard you, and now the Ohio Department of Health and many of our partner agencies are offering this clinic where people can come and discuss these important issues with medical providers.”
He added, “We encourage anyone with medical concerns or questions to use this resource.”
“We all have red rashes, loose stools, stuffy eyes, burning eyes. Everything stinks. I have a terrible headache,” she told an Ideastream reporter at a community meeting last week.
The Norfolk Southern Railroad was scheduled to participate, but pulled out a few hours early “due to increasing physical threats to staff and community members.”
Fifty Norfolk Southern Railroad trucks carrying toxic vinyl chloride derailed in Columbiana County around 9 p.m. Friday, February 3rd.
The railway company carried out a controlled release of the cancer-causing chemicals on Monday 6 February to prevent a possible explosion.
Hundreds of residents of East Palestine were evacuated from their homes before the release, but were told on February 8 that they could safely return. Many doubt that these are their symptoms.
It was later discovered that three other dangerous chemicals – ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethyl hexyl acrylate and isobutylene – were also in the train cars.
What we know about the ‘toxic soup’ of chemicals released in Ohio train derailments
The toxic chemical soup released after a train crash in Ohio contains two known carcinogens and other substances that can cause convulsions and vomiting.
Taylor Holzer, a registered fox handler who lives outside the evacuation area, told WKBN that all of his foxes are sick and one is dead. Dead fish were also seen in bodies of water around the crime scene after the incident.
Several individuals and business owners have filed class action lawsuits against Norfolk Southern.
In a lawsuit, attorney John Morgan said, “Residents exposed to vinyl chloride can already undergo DNA mutations that can persist for years or even decades before manifesting as a terrible and deadly cancer.”
Morgan & Morgan calculated that the cars contained a total of 1.1 million pounds of vinyl chloride, more than double the total amount of vinyl chloride released in the US in an entire year.
Vinyl chloride, a colorless man-made gas that burns easily, is primarily used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a hard plastic resin used to make plastic products, including pipe, wire and outdoor cable parts.
Vinyl chloride is associated with a higher risk of a rare form of liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma) as well as primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), brain and lung cancer, lymphoma and leukemia.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists vinyl chloride as a human carcinogen, meaning that there is sufficient scientific evidence that it causes cancer in humans.
People exposed to vinyl chloride for many years are likely to develop liver damage and cancer.
Exposure can also cause drowsiness, loss of coordination, vision and hearing problems, disorientation, nausea, headaches, and burning or tingling in the arms and legs.
But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reassured residents that both the air and water in the area are safe.
Local EPA officials at last week’s meeting said they could also smell the fumes and know what the chemical was causing them, but the levels they found were not high enough to cause any human health problems.
President Joe Biden and Buttigieg have not yet made their way to East Palestine, leaving residents feeling abandoned. On Wednesday, former President Donald Trump, who is active again, will visit the village.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
