Results from an independent soil test in the area around the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, have shown significantly higher levels of toxic chemicals than neighbouring towns.
On Feb. 3, a 38-car Norfolk Southern cargo train carrying toxic chemicals ran off the rails and caught fire in Ohio, threatening to explode and flatten the nearby small town of East Palestine. Emergency crews eventually drained the hazardous materials, including the known carcinogen vinyl chloride, into a trench for a controlled burn. The burn sent a massive black plume of phosgene gas and hydrogen chloride into the air.
Since the derailment, many residents in East Palestine and the surrounding area have expressed great concern over the safety of the environment and have voiced concerns for their own health and wellness. Reports of dead animals and lingering dioxins have had locals especially antsy.
According to the ABC-affiliated news station WTAE, Scott Smith, the chief sustainability officer for Eco Integrated Technologies, collected soil samples from the area around the derailment in May.
This week, Scott presented his study’s findings to the “Unity Council for East Palestine Train Derailment” in nearby Darlington, Penn. He said the soil he collected from 885 E. Taggart Street, close to where the derailment occurred, showed dioxin levels were between 27,000 per cent and 164,000 per cent above control samples.
Dioxin is a toxic chemical that may cause cancer.
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According to CBS News, these dioxin levels are up to 900 times higher than samples from neighbouring towns around East Palestine.
The results of Smith’s testing were wildly different from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reporting on soil samples from April. The EPA said there were no unsafe levels of harmful chemicals in soil collected from East Palestine.
CBS-affiliate KDKA-TV obtained a statement from the EPA that said the organization is “committed to the health and safety of the people of East Palestine.”
“Our role in the clean up has primarily been overseeing the testing of surface water, ground water, and drinking water,” the statement continued. “The U.S. EPA is the lead agency overseeing soil testing and could better answer your questions related to those specific test results.”
According to WTAE, Smith did not take personal issue with the EPA’s reporting but encouraged the governmental body to continue testing the environment for dioxins. Smith said dust lifted during the soil remediation process in April may be to blame for the spike in his independent study.
When concerned locals at the Unity Council for East Palestine Train Derailment meeting asked Smith what they were to do, Scott simply replied that they can “go to your medical doctor.” He claimed there is “no need to panic.”
Smith, however, could not make a blanket statement about whether the area around the derailment site was safe or unsafe.
Still, many East Palestine residents, and residents in nearby towns, were vocal about their concerns over personally developing cancer. Others scolded Smith for inciting more panic without a solution or genuine guidance for locals.
“This is our death sentence,” one resident said, according to WTAE reporting. “We’re just lab rats waiting to die.”
— With files from Global News’ Kathryn Mannie
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