The derailment of train 32N, owned by major transport company Norfolk Southern, occurred on February 3. It derailed on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, in a small East Palestine city of about 5,000 people.
The train consisted of 150 cars, 20 of which carried hazardous materials such as vinyl chloride. It is an industrial chemical that is used to make plastic. If it enters the human body, it can provoke the development of cancer.
Since the fire that started after the accident could lead to a large explosion, the rescue services decided to carry out the so-called controlled release of chemicals (they released them and burned them). Before that, the authorities ordered the evacuation of the entire local population.
Five days after the explosion, which sent a plume of black smoke into the air, officials asked citizens to return to their homes. The authorities said that the detonation was successful and people have no reason to worry. In particular, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said no deterioration in water and air quality was found. This was also stated by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Nevertheless, residents of the affected areas began to complain of a strange smell, headaches, nausea and burning eyes. In addition, cases of death of domestic and wild animals were recorded. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates that poisoning in rivers has killed about 3,500 fish.
Even a few weeks after the train crash, the scale of the disaster is still unclear, and many residents are afraid to return home and ask for punishment for those responsible for what happened. Norfolk Southern, which was in charge of transporting the chemicals, has filed several class action lawsuits. The plaintiffs accuse the company of negligence in transporting dangerous goods.
In addition, the Pennsylvania governor said Norfolk Southern failed to notify regulators of the accident in a timely manner and provided inaccurate information about the effects of a controlled release.
The company itself has pledged to help clean up the aftermath of the accident and set up a $1 million East Palestine relief fund. But last week, Norfolk Southern representatives refused to meet with city residents and answer their questions, saying they feared for their safety.
For this, Twitter users criticized the head of the company, Alan Shaw, calling his act “the answer of a real coward.” They also recalled that it was Shaw who lobbied under the presidency of Donald Trump to remove a number of rules that were aimed at improving train safety. In particular, they demanded the obligatory use of modern braking technologies.
According to the conclusion of the US National Transportation Safety Board, the cause of the accident was an overheated wheel bearing. As the media wrote, this was not news to Norfolk Southern employees, since the company’s train was considered dangerous before. It was too long (150 wagons) to carry this kind of cargo.
Analysts estimate that Norfolk Southern could suffer tens of millions of dollars in losses due to the train derailment, and the White House has previously promised to hold the company accountable.
Another issue that worries the residents of Eastern Palestine is the lack of attention from the federal authorities. In particular, some of them said that the Minister of Transport Pete Buttigieg and the Environmental Protection Agency did not take timely measures to solve the environmental problem.
Members of the Republican Party adhere to the same position. In particular, Senator Marco Rubio demanded that Buttigieg be fired for “gross incompetence.” Former US President Donald Trump even announced his desire to visit the affected region.
At the same time, representatives of the Democratic Party also believe that the federal government is not doing enough to resolve the situation. Earlier, Senator Sherrod Brown called on the Ohio authorities to declare a state of emergency in East Palestine.
“A man-made disaster of this scale and significance requires a rapid response and the deployment of commensurate resources,” he said in a statement. However, a state of emergency has not been declared in the city, and the Biden administration is only going to send federal medical experts to the region to assess the situation.
The Ohio incident also sparked discussions about the need for reform in the railroad industry. Experts said that large companies are required to upgrade the brake systems on trains carrying deadly substances.
“Companies should not use their lobbyists to block or weaken safety measures that protect workers and the public,” Senator Sherrod Brown added.
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