East Palestine,Ohio may not have been a well known town, however that may have changed. On the night of February third. Norfolk southern train derailed, subsequently damaging cars carrying myriad harmful chemicals. Since then, the residents of East Palestine are on edge. They fear the air and water has been contaminated. For some this has become a political issue, but first and foremost this is a humanitarian and environmental issue. Here are the details of what happened in East Palestine.
On Feb. 3, at approximately 8:54 p.m., local time, eastbound Norfolk Southern Railway, general merchandise freight train 32N, derailed on main track 1 in East Palestine, Ohio. As a result of the derailment, 38 rail cars derailed and a fire ensued which damaged an additional 12 cars. There were 20 total hazardous material cars in the train consist,11 of which derailed.
To mitigate the risk of a cataclysmic explosion, officials decided it would be best to conduct a controlled release of the chemicals. Which were burned, leaving a cloud of smoke that spread for miles. Many fear the cloud has spread numerous chemicals. Vinyl chloride has gotten the most attention so far. It’s a colorless, flammable gas and known carcinogen. This has left many in the town on edge. Videos show people throwing rocks into creeks of which chemicals bubble up. One local claims that her chickens died days after the burn.
The Government on the other hand, claims the air and water is safe. Many locals don’t believe that is the case. Can you blame them? East Palestine is a conservative town. Many conservatives feel distrust towards the government. A feeling that was exacerbated by the response to COVID-19. COVID gives numerous examples of the government spreading false hoods. Flip flopping on the effectiveness of masks, meaningless lockdowns, and the pushing of “safe” vaccines, that we are now learning the negative effect of, are just a few of the reasons many Americans take the government’s word with a grain of salt.