A Norfolk Southern train derailed near East Palestine, Ohio on February 3, 2023. East Palestine is a population 4,700 town near the State line of Pennsylvania; an hour from Pittsburgh and a half hour south of Youngstown.
NTSB and Ohio EPA
On board the trains tanker cars were toxic chemicals including Vinyl Chloride which spilled, ignited and was allowed to "burn off" over the next 36 hours billowing a massive black, noxious cloud over the city which drifted south on air currents
The hazardous stew spilled from 10 cars into a trench where it was burned away. Ohio EPA and Local officials recommended the town evacuate immediately after the accident, but have repeatedly assured the residents that the city water is safe to drink, but are recommending bottled water. Some waterways are contaminated but Ohio EPA reports contamination as “contained“.
Municipalities downstream will close water intakes as the “containment plume“ is tracked and the toxins get near. Ohio EPA surface water chief says “low levels“ of remaining contaminants are not getting to the public.
Local residents are of course, uneasy about the state of their water, air and soil. Some 43,000 fish and marine wildlife in the local waterways have died, while pets, livestock and birds are also dying or exhibiting odd behavior.
Vinyl Chloride is a Disaster for the Environment
Primarily used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Vinyl Chloride is a flammable gas that is carcinogenic. Property owners with private water supplies are being urged to get their water tested. Some scientists worry about other persistent chemicals produced during the burn off.
This is a major Eco-disaster which has upended the lives of all who live nearby and down river.
Second only to the Mississippi, the Ohio river flows through or next to 6 states over 900 miles south till it joins the Mississippi river.
While Joe Biden has seen fit to visit Europe and Ukraine in the last two weeks, he hasn’t gone to visit the residents of East Palestine and his transportation secretary finally made an appearance and press conference on site on February 23. Donald Trump however has visited. The 42nd president flew to Ohio and met with the townspeople, handed out cases of water and capitalized on the political points Biden had left him in a place Trump won in 2016 and hopes to count on for support in 2024.
Government Credibility
The credibility, government-wide, has never been as shaky in our history. In two successive democrat presidencies almost all trust has been removed from the American people in their governments ability to function on a basic level much less tackle disasters. The justice department has never been as politicized and, or Weaponized as Obama and then Biden have made it.
-katykarter
February 24, 2023
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