[Freight rail companies are running their trains ragged to boost
profits. Sometimes they crash. ]
[[link removed]]

CHEMICAL DESOLATION IN APPALACHIA  
[[link removed]]


 

Jarod Facundo
February 14, 2023
The American Prospect
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ Freight rail companies are running their trains ragged to boost
profits. Sometimes they crash. _

A large plume of smoke rises over East Palestine, Ohio, after a
controlled detonation of a portion of a derailed Norfolk Southern
freight train carrying toxic chemicals, February 6, 2023., Gene J.
Puskar/AP Photo

 

In the village of East Palestine, on a late Friday evening, a Norfolk
Southern freight train derailed on the Ohio side of the Pennsylvania
border, causing tanker cars to rupture and catch fire, releasing
thousands of tons of hazardous chemical compounds into the surrounding
land and atmosphere. At the time of the crash, the known chemicals
aboard included the highly toxic vinyl chloride and hydrogen chloride.
An EPA document dump on February 12
[[link removed]]
revealed additional carcinogenic chemicals were aboard too, as well as
some highly flammable solvents and gases. Public documents reveal that
four tank cars containing vinyl chloride were stacked together.

Responding before the reveal of the cargo’s manifest, Jason Trosky,
a resident of East Palestine, told the _Prospect_: “A $56 billion
corporation knows where every one of its assets is at any given time
… The reason [Norfolk Southern] didn’t show us the manifest is
because the train was overloaded.”

Twenty miles earlier, grainy security footage
[[link removed]]
from an equipment plant in Salem, Ohio, showed flashes of white rising
from the train tracks, sparks and flames—a possible indication of
fire or malfunction. Before the derailment, Michael Graham, a
spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said
the crew on board was notified of mechanical failure, prompting them
to activate the emergency brakes, which caused the derailment. At time
of writing, it was not known whether the hotbox detector, a device
used to assess the parts of a rail car, in Salem or the one in East
Palestine alerted the crew on board.

In the following days, reporting from The Lever detailed how Norfolk
Southern lobbied against
[[link removed]]
transportation safety rules designed to prevent the exact sort of
disaster that happened in East Palestine. They spent big to block new
rules requiring rail companies to replace conventional air brakes with
electronically controlled pneumatic brakes on cars carrying volatile
or dangerous material. The new technology is far more effective at
braking—unsurprising given that air brakes were designed in the 19th
century—but the upgrades would have cost money.

Ben Ratner, a resident of East Palestine, recalled the immediate
moments after the freight train derailed to the _Prospect_. He and his
family arrived home from his daughter’s basketball game. The phones
buzzed and sirens rang overhead. From the Ratner home, the train
tracks are visible from the backyard. He looked outside and saw
flames. “I wasn’t fully sure what was going on for our family and
friends who live over there.” So he stepped outside and walked
toward the smoke and flames until he was stopped by firefighters. “I
tried getting over to my friend’s house and they weren’t letting
me cross the intersection,” he said, solemnly, “I was very close
to their house, but they were actually getting ready to leave as
well.” He then returned home.

By midnight, Ratner and his family decided they’d shelter in place.
“Some people were leaving town, but our kids were getting ready for
bed. We didn’t know how serious it was.” The following morning,
Ratner relocated his family to his mother-in-law’s house, just over
two miles away from the crash site, as he went to work for the day.
His wife called him, telling Ratner that evacuation for children was
mandatory, citing alleged potential charges for child endangerment.
Ratner described frantically running around town, being stopped from
entering East Palestine, and eventually picking up the family’s dog.
By Sunday, his family had rented an Airbnb next to the family-owned
coffee shop in Salem. At the time of the interview, he said his house
was on a wait list for air quality testing and he was unsure of
returning. He said: “Our kids are supposed to return to school on
Monday.”

 
Norfolk Southern lobbied against transportation safety rules designed
to prevent the exact sort of disaster that happened in East Palestine.

An ominous FAQ document, with no company or government letterhead,
appeared on the exterior doors of the residents of East Palestine. The
document tells residents not to worry about their air quality or
drinking water, and compared the inhalation of the chemicals in the
air to breathing in smoke from a wood fire. Under the “Is my
drinking water safe?” section, the document states: “It is
improbable that substances from the derailment will impact the
groundwater or drinking water wells in the area.” Meanwhile,
according to the EPA
[[link removed]],
trace amounts of the chemicals aboard the Norfolk Southern train have
been identified in the Ohio River and along the creeks sprouting off
the river.

Additionally, the document states that children, the elderly, and
other immunocompromised people are not at risk from exposure to the
substances released from the derailed train. The document states:
“While smoke from any type of fire can exacerbate asthma or other
breathing difficulties, no long-term effect is expected from
short-term exposure.”

Trosky described the derailment as “It felt like our house blew up
… We got a little bit of smoke inside.” He recalled a haze inside
his house, and a sweet, metallic taste in his mouth. “We knew it was
nothing good.” On Saturday morning, the highway state patrol arrived
at Trosky’s home, urging him to evacuate him and his family. “The
urgency wasn’t there. It was like he was going through the
motions,” Trosky said. He immediately evacuated his 14-year-old
twins, while he and his wife stayed behind. “You can’t just go
running from your home,” Trosky said. He then described how his
daughter had suffered from an upper respiratory episode. “I would
assume it’s some kind of chemical irritation in her lungs.”

A resident outside of the one-mile evacuation zone recalled the
experience from five miles away. Emily Wright, a spokesperson for
River Valley Organizing, said, “I feel guilty for not evacuating my
family.” On Sunday, she was experiencing asthma symptoms. Her
father, who already suffers from bilateral asbestosis, called her
saying that his breath had been short all day. “We were told on the
news,” Wright said, “the train derailed, it was on fire, but it
was controlled.” It was not until Sunday night that authorities
reported that some of the boxcars were filled with vinyl chloride.
“All of a sudden I’m getting these emergency alerts on my phone,
evacuating more people,” Wright said.

A controlled burn was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Monday, supposedly to
prevent further explosions of the cars, but it released hydrogen
chloride and toxic phosgene gas into the air. Wright told the
_Prospect_ that upon learning about the scheduled burn, she decided to
pick her daughter up from school early. “I didn’t want her to be
on the bus because she would have been on the bus route when it
happened.” But the burn was delayed. Initially, the 3:30 p.m. time
slot was chosen to avoid weather forecasts of 45 mph winds.

Around six o’clock, everybody in the Wright home began feeling
nauseous. Her 84-year-old grandmother felt strange. Wright’s teeth
were hurting, along with others in the house. And her father’s
shortness of breath worsened. Similar symptoms were reported across
five counties, even in some places in Western Pennsylvania. Later,
Wright received pictures from 25 miles south of her, showing towns
covered in darkness. “It didn’t even look like they had
streetlights,” Wright said.

Wright’s account tracks with others further from the initial site.
Jim Kosior, a resident of Darlington Township, Pennsylvania,
approximately eight to ten miles away, described similar
circumstances. Kosior posted footage on Twitter. Across a landscape of
near total darkness, Kosior says
[[link removed]], “These
aren’t storm clouds. This is the fucking shit they’re burning off
in East Palestine.” When Kosior spoke to the _Prospect_, he said,
“I’ve still got a burning in my lungs,” going on to describe
ongoing symptoms of diarrhea and severe headaches.

Expand
[Facundo-Train derailment 021423 2.jpg]

Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

People affected by the freight train derailment gather at the Norfolk
Southern assistance center, February 9, 2023, at the Abundant Life
Fellowship in New Waterford, Ohio.

From Monday to Wednesday, residents witnessed a string of press
conferences that only left them more confused than they were from the
start. In one of these press conferences, a local reporter was
handcuffed and arrested for trespassing while covering a news
conference
[[link removed]]
about the toxic chemicals aboard. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who led the
conference in question, after the matter said that he was unaware the
arrest took place.

“Less than 24 hours ago,” Ratner said, “they shut down a press
conference after a few questions. And all of sudden we can go back
home? You would have thought they had all that information [at the
press conference].” He continued: “It’s hard … People have to
go back to their normal lives. And it’s gonna be sad if in a few
years people start seeing negative health effects, [which] we’re
already seeing.”

By Wednesday, residents were notified that the evacuation area was
safe to return to based upon air quality samples “below safety
screening levels for contaminants of concern
[[link removed]].”

The Ohio governor’s announcement urges residents with private wells
to use bottled water until water testing is completed. In the
announcement, DeWine states that Norfolk Southern would be providing
free bottled water and free water testing through an independent
contractor. He additionally notes that Norfolk Southern would be
providing reimbursements for families displaced.

But many residents still have doubts. River Valley Organizing has
collected photos documenting the sustained damage across the region.
These include pictures of discolored eggs laid by chickens after the
crash.

In a private Facebook group, East Palestine residents have shared
anecdotes of continued lung irritation, headaches, and more. Over the
weekend, several residents posted images of their children suffering
from rashes spread along their arms and faces. Others have described
their homes as covered in residue, even after cleaning services were
hired, suggesting that despite the notice that it was safe to return,
residue from the accident remains in the air. Inside the group, they
are urging each other to keep meticulous documentation for any future
action against Norfolk Southern.

Those reimbursements touted by DeWine have drawn scrutiny. After the
initial reimbursement announcement, Norfolk Southern expanded the
program to include a $1,000 “inconvenience fee” for each person
inside a household. At the Abundant Life Fellowship
[[link removed]] in New Waterford, Ohio, Norfolk
Southern has set up shop. The _Prospect_ confirmed with John Fletcher,
an employee for Norfolk Southern, that the company was providing
inconvenience checks and reimbursements onsite.

East Palestine resident Zsuzsa Gyenes told the _Prospect_ that on the
first day she visited the Abundant Life Fellowship to claim
reimbursements, there were only five people in attendance. But by the
next day, there were hundreds. Gyenes said she waited for five hours
and when she asked a representative from the company to review the
paperwork ahead of time for the inconvenience check, her request was
denied.

In order to claim the reimbursement, residents within one mile of the
evacuation zone are required to show paperwork proving their residency
and identification. For the $1,000 “inconvenience fee,” residents
are required to provide Norfolk Southern with a W-9 form, in addition
to a Social Security number. Rumors have spread in the Facebook group
that claiming one or both could waive a resident’s right to any
future class action lawsuit.

Attempting to quash those rumors, Norfolk Southern spokesperson Connor
Spielmaker told a Cleveland news outlet that accepting reimbursements
or money would not bar them from filing future legal action. Some
residents in the Facebook group have described speaking with attorneys
who have provided similar advice.

However, Michael O’Shea of the Lipson O’Shea legal group says
otherwise. In an interview with the _Prospect_, he said: “I would
tell my clients not to give [Norfolk Southern] any W-9 information and
not to sign any forms and not to cash any checks until we have a clear
understanding from Norfolk Southern.”

In a similar 2005 incident in Graniteville, South Carolina
[[link removed]],
5,400 residents were evacuated from their homes following a Norfolk
Southern train crash that resulted in a chlorine spill. Residents who
accepted compensation from the company forfeited their rights to any
further damages. O’Shea brought up this instance to Norfolk
Southern, but Norfolk Southern has not responded.

Against this backdrop, a blighted landscape remains. Advocacy groups
have urged residents to call upon Gov. DeWine to request an emergency
declaration from President Biden. At time of publication, an emergency
has not been declared, leaving residents alone to attempt piecing
their lives back together.

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA), Norfolk Southern could be responsible for all
cleanup costs at the site. So far, the EPA has warned
[[link removed]]
the company that it’s investigating the company under CERCLA. Trosky
further damned Norfolk Southern. “People in East Palestine live day
to day, not paycheck to paycheck.” He derided the $25,000 donation
[[link removed]],
inconvenience checks, and reimbursements as chump change. Photos
shared with the _Prospect_ by Trosky showed workers on the site
working without respiratory protection.

“They’re not even cleaning the trucks coming off that job site,”
Trosky said, talking to me on the phone while speaking from the
disaster site. “There’s zero containment of what’s on their
trucks.” Trosky is concerned about the air quality, but what scares
him most is the management of the cleanup site and contaminants that
have seeped into the earth. Trosky continued: “In all the creeks,
the fish are dead … [Local authorities] kept giving [Norfolk
Southern] the power. So now you’re telling me that in less than five
days,” he paused, “they completely cleaned it up and it’s safe
to return?”

===

Jarod Facundo is a writing fellow at The American Prospect. He has
previously interned for The Nation, Dissent, the Prospect, and the
Institute for Policy Studies. He is a graduate of Michigan State
University's James Madison College.

* East Palestine Ohio Train Derailment; Norfolk Southern Rail;
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]

Manage subscription
[[link removed]]

Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]