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Reports are circulating on Twitter with claims the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its guidelines on vinyl chloride days before the toxic release of chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio. But the reality is that the CDC was not the only agency involved, and the timing of the changes is in question.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and CDC worked together in a coordinated effort to alter vinyl chloride’s toxicity guidelines [ [link removed] ] shortly before and after the train derailment [ [link removed] ] in Ohio that released 1.1 million pounds [ [link removed] ] of toxic chemicals into the air, soil and water to make the chemical look less harmful.
In addition, just three months ago, East Palestine adopted a pilot program to respond to emergency events where digital IDs [ [link removed] ] were given to residents to track long-term health problems like “difficulty breathing.”
Timeline: (1) HHS and the CDC, in coordination with the EPA, publish an update to the vinyl chloride toxicity profile in January 2023 for the first time in 17 years. (2) Digital IDs on Jan. 26 are rolled out to East Palestine and a nearby township. (3) Train derails on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, and a million pounds of highly toxic and potentially lethal vinyl chloride are released into the environment. (4) CDC alters its webpage on or around Feb. 6, 2023, on vinyl chloride, omitting key sections on toxicity. This webpage had not been reviewed for nine years. (5) Health and environmental officials deem the area safe [ [link removed] ]. (6) Lawsuits are filed.
HHS, in January 2023, published a 293-page document [ [link removed] ] called “Toxicological Profile of Vinyl Chloride,” which was prepared in accordance with guidelines developed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the EPA.
The original guidelines on vinyl chloride were published [ [link removed] ] in the Federal Register in August 1989 and were (prior to Jan. 2023) most recently updated in 2006. So for 17 years, the toxicological profile of vinyl chloride had not been altered.
According to HHS, the ATSDR peer-reviewed toxicological profile of vinyl chloride “succinctly characterizes” its toxicologic and adverse health effects—and identifies available toxicological information, epidemiologic evaluations and the level of exposure that presents a significant risk to human health.
ATSDR toxicological guidelines are published by the CDC under the auspices of HHS and drafted in coordination with the EPA.
The CDC's FAQ webpage [ [link removed] ] for vinyl chloride was recently modified as well. An archived version [ [link removed] ] captured three days after the East Palestine train derailment shows a longer, more detailed FAQ section on vinyl chloride that included a section on the dangers of the chemical in children, recommendations made by the federal government to protect human health and a lower level of lethal exposure.
A current version [ [link removed] ] of the same webpage omits this information, expands the level of human exposure (meaning you can suddenly be exposed to more of a highly toxic substance before you experience detrimental effects and includes a laughable new section on how to protect yourself and your family from vinyl chloride.
Here is a screenshot of the Feb. 6, 2023, archived version of the CDC’s FAQ webpage on vinyl chloride captured three days after the East Palestine train derailment. Notice on the right-hand side of the page it includes the sections “How can vinyl chloride affect children?” and “Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health?”
When you select “How can vinyl chloride affect children?” you get the following now-deleted information:
Here is the CDC’s current webpage at the same URL, showing the sections on the hazardous effects of vinyl chloride in children and federal government recommendations have been deleted:
Here’s the archived webpage version of the now-deleted section, “Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health?” Note this section states that the “Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a limit of 1 part vinyl chloride per 1 million parts of air (1 ppm) in the workplace.”
Here is the current version of the same webpage where the section is entirely removed. Inserted instead are the CDC’s ridiculous recommendations for protecting yourself from toxic vinyl chloride, namely, avoiding tobacco smoke.
At the bottom of the archived Feb. 6, 2023, CDC webpage, it says the agency last reviewed this page on August 28, 2014. This is classic CDC behavior. For nine years, nobody touched this page. As soon as people started pointing out how toxic vinyl chloride is, began reporting health effects and the real media picked it up, the CDC snuck in to review the page to remove incriminating information. Sound familiar?
According to the National Cancer Institute, vinyl chloride is a gas used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) hard plastic resin in plastic products and is associated with an increased risk of cancer. The gas is highly toxic and even lethal if inhaled.
According to HHS, vinyl chloride is a known human carcinogen. The EPA classifies vinyl chloride as a human carcinogen when inhaled, yet claimed the air in East Palestine was safe to breathe just days after the incident and water with visible chemical toxicity was safe.
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As if this story didn’t have enough twists already, it was recently revealed [ [link removed] ] that days before the incident, the Morning Journal (archive [ [link removed] ]) reported the East Palestine Fire Department was “hosting a sign-up event” for a service called MyID targeting both East Palestine and a nearby township.
Robert Runnion, a councilman, said he hoped people in the community would take advantage of the new service.
“MyID is a program that helps first responders aid victims more effectively and efficiently,” Runnion said.
The MyID company claims to be a “comprehensive medical ID solution that provides an easy way to access, store and manage your health information” through bracelets, tags, stickers, and wallet cards with a QR code that can be scanned to access your online health information in a few seconds.
The MyID app displays your diagnosis, personal information, emergency contacts, allergies, medications and medical providers.
How ironic.
According to WKBN27 [ [link removed] ] news, the MyID plan was months in the making [ [link removed] ]. In October 2022, it ran an “advertorial” of the MyID rollout in East Palestine. Here is the introductory paragraph:
“East Palestine is known as ‘The Place to Be.’ It’s way ahead of the curve on a program to provide better treatment for anyone in the event of an emergency. We learned how it works and how it could help everyone in East Palestine.”
In a follow-up Jan. 26 article published [ [link removed] ] by WKBN27, East Palestine fire chief Keith Drabick stated, “We’re not doing this to gain anybody’s information, to try and steal anybody’s information. We’re doing this to help the public in medical emergencies.”
Drabick continued, “Anybody that skeptical? Please come on down. Sit down, and talk to us. We’ll be happy to show you everything that goes on with it. We’ll be happy to show you how secure it is.”
Interesting how the fire department—which people typically have great trust in—was used to promote this invasive digital ID system.
Regardless of the timeline of events, the CDC’s manipulation of its webpage is highly suspicious. The agency either knew an event like this would happen or scrubbed its page after the fact to cover up a devastating environmental catastrophe and shield itself, HHS, the EPA and the train company from liability.
What is clear is that the CDC is again lying to the American people to downplay the harmful and potentially lethal effects of vinyl chloride. This sounds eerily familiar.
Megan Redshaw is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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