East Palestine Residents Could See Long-Term Health Risks From ‘Highly Toxic’ Chemicals, Analysis Says

Residents affected by the train derailment and subsequent chemical fallout in East Palestine, Ohio, could be subject to a number of long-term health complications as a result of prolonged exposure to toxic substances despite officials’ assurances that the air and water in the town is safe, researchers from Texas A&M University and Carnegie Mellon University said on Friday.

Local and state authorities previously evacuated all residents within one mile of the February 3 derailment and started a controlled burn of industrial chemicals on the vehicle to decrease the risk of an explosion, which could have sent shrapnel throughout the small town. Vinyl chloride, a known human carcinogen used to manufacture PVC, was emitted from five train cars in the form of massive plumes of black smoke visible throughout eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. ---More...