The US authorities sought to reassure the population of Eastern Palestine, in the State of Ohio, who are expressing concern for their health and demanding explanations almost two weeks after the derailment of a train carrying a chemical product.
“I want the population to know that they do not have to face this case alone (…). We will be here to help,” said the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). in English), Michael Regan, who was this Thursday in Eastern Palestine, in the northeast of the country.
Regan said no records of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride were detected after testing more than 480 homes.
The water was tested and retested “to ensure that the inhabitants are protected,” he stressed, guaranteeing “a lot of transparency” but adding that he understands the “lack of trust from the neighbors.”
In Washington, Karine Jean-Pierre, a spokeswoman for President Joe Biden, assured that the US government is aware and “will hold Norfolk Southern” responsible, the railway company that operated the train.
The accident, which occurred on February 3, in the town of East Palestine, in the state of Ohio, did not cause direct victims, but caused a fire with a large column of black smoke.
The train that derailed was carrying vinyl chloride, a chemical used in the manufacture of plastic that is considered carcinogenic and highly flammable.
An investigation into the causes of the accident has since been launched and the case has continued to gain momentum as residents have raised concerns.
In reports to the media, the inhabitants said that they have various symptoms, such as headaches, but also a fear of cancer in a few years.
Some 3,500 fish also died in the region’s waterways, according to the local natural resources agency.
Authorities have marked the air as “safe” and ensured that the municipal system’s water is “free of contaminants”, but advise people who use water from private wells to test it.
Despite the reassuring words, the neighbors who were allowed to return to their homes show their distrust.
Norfolk Southern even canceled participation in a community meeting for fear of “physical” violence against its employees.
The mayor of that town of less than 5,000 inhabitants, Trent Conaway, expressed himself angry, but also tired, in statements to reporters,
“They are playing with our city. But they will repair what they have done,” he stressed, asking, however, for help, given “the lack of capacity to face” the situation.
Source: TSF
