Tensions were already high at a town meeting intended to ease fears about a derailed train that was transporting hazardous chemicals through a small Ohio town, but when the train company responsible for the derailment failed to attend the meeting on Wednesday night, the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, erupted in anger.
The railway company, Norfolk Southern, cited “the growing physical threat” to employees as reason to skip the town meeting.
In the packed East Palestine High School gymnasium, residents shouted about their health and safety fears and their distrust of the rail company. The mayor of East Palestine, Trent Conaway, pleaded with attendees to be “civil” when asking questions.
After the freight cars derailed on the evening of Feb. 3, residents in and around East Palestine, a town of about 5,000, were ordered to evacuate. At first authorities were worried there could be explosions, but eventually they were able to remove the contents of five tanker cars full of vinyl chloride that is used in plastic production.
Draining the chemicals into a trench last week, crews then ignited a controlled burn to get rid of it, creating a thick black cloud of smoke that was visible over the town.
Residents have been told by the rail company and state officials that the air and water in East Palestine is safe (though locals have been encouraged to drink bottled water). Homeowners with private water wells have been instructed to test for contaminants, though many residents have experienced difficulties obtaining testing.
Still, some residents have complained about experiencing headaches and nausea. On Wednesday, some said they have noticed rashes on their children and grandchildren. Others questioned how the area can possibly be safe when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed the chemical spill is responsible for the demise of 3,500 small fish across 12 kilometres of streams. Officials have said the toxins responsible killing fish are not present in high enough levels to harm a human.
“Why are people getting sick if there’s nothing in the air or the water?” questioned one woman at Wednesday’s meeting. She received applause from others also sitting in the bleachers.
“We have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties,” a spokesman for the railroad company said in a statement. “We are not going anywhere. We are committed to East Palestine and will continue to respond to community concerns.”
According to the New York Times, when the statement was read at Wednesday’s meeting, one man stood up and shouted, “We’re scared, too.”
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“I’m just as frustrated. I live in the community, just like you,” said Mayor Conaway. “I’m trying to get answers.”
The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michael Regan, will visit East Palestine on Thursday to further assess the situation and “ensure the health and safety of the community,” as per an EPA statement.
Environment Climate Change Canada told Global News that areas of Canada closest to East Palestine, which is across Lake Erie from southern Ontario, were “highly unlikely” to see any impact from the rail disaster.
“Typically, the chemical involved in the controlled release to the air, vinyl chloride, only lasts in the atmosphere for less than 24 hours. With southern Ontario being directly north and northwest of the event location, and with the prevailing winds being from the west and southwest, it would have been highly unlikely that the region would have seen any effect,” the statement read.
— With files from Global News’ Michelle Butterfield
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