(FreedomBeacon.com)- An explosion rocked the Ohio community of East Palestine on February 3 when a Norfolk Southern train carrying numerous hazardous chemicals in 20 boxcars derailed. Firefighters could not get close for days due to dangerous chemicals. Authorities blew up five derailed boxcars carrying harmful chemicals, causing an ecological catastrophe.
Authorities performed the controlled fire in East Palestine, a town of roughly 5,000 people. Authorities convinced locals it was safe to return after completing a “controlled release” of vinyl chloride from five train carriages. Images of phosgene and hydrogen chloride plumes have been posted on social media. The vinyl Chloride leak contaminated Sulpher Run, Leslie Run, Bull Creek, and Little Beaver Creek.
Many are beginning to wonder why this subject has received little coverage in the media. Published reports are second-page summaries that provide the impression that the situation is under control and that there is no threat to public health. This is the farthest thing from the truth. Many fish kills and animal deaths have been reported.
Paolo Caggiano, an expert in hazardous chemicals, was questioned by the local ABC station WYTV 33 and said, “We virtually nuked a village with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.”
He suggested that everyone in town “get a physical” and keep track of their health status. If they get cancer or an autoimmune condition linked to harmful chemical exposure, they can file a claim against the railroad and the state.
Chemicals in groundwater may spread rapidly. Hazardous substances similar to those spilled after the disaster was found in the Ohio River in downstream locations.
That’s why it’s not only a disaster for East Palestine or the surrounding towns; it’s a disaster for the whole region.
Upward News claims the toxic chemicals have reached West Virginia by floating down the Ohio River.
The Ohio River Basin is home to over 30 million people or around 10% of the U.S. population. The river serves as a source of potable water for more than five million people thanks to its many public water intakes and industrial users.
