The Biden administration said it has deployed federal medical experts to help assess what dangers remain at an Ohio village where a train carrying hazardous materials derailed this month \u2013 a ramp-up of federal support at the governor\u2019s request as anxious residents point to signs of adverse effects.
\nOhio Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday asked the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Health and Human Services to send teams to East Palestine, where the train derailed February 3 and sparked a dayslong blaze.
\n\u201cThis request for medical experts includes, but is not limited to, physicians and behavioral health specialists,\u201d DeWine wrote in a letter to the CDC. \u201cSome community members have already seen physicians in the area but remain concerned about their condition and possible health effects \u2013 both short- and long-term.\u201d
\nThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday it will be sending a team to \u201cassess the public health needs\u201d at the site of the derailment.
\n\u201cCDC is working closely with US EPA and the Ohio Department of Health to assess the public health impact of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. We will be sending a team to provide technical assistance and assess the public health needs,\u201d CDC spokesperson Bert Kelly told CNN in a statement on Friday.
\nIt is in addition to aid the Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing, according to Jean-Pierre, who noted Thursday the train derailment situation is \u201cmuch more expansive\u201d than what FEMA can offer.
\nThe federal support boost to a community of some 5,000 people along the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line comes amid some residents\u2019 growing concerns some areas may not be safe to live in.
\nThere have been at least eight class action lawsuits filed in Ohio courts following the derailment two weeks ago.
\nThe lawsuits, pending in the United States District Court of Northern Ohio, similarly accuse Norfolk Southern of negligence, saying the company failed to keep residents and businesses safe among other claims.
\nNorfolk Southern told CNN they were \u201cunable to comment on litigation,\u201d following the announcement of the first lawsuit.
\nAn evacuation order in place for areas near the crash site was\u2002lifted February 8 after officials said air and water sample results led them to deem the area safe, officials said.
\nBut a chemical stench lingered in areas, with some residents saying the odor left them with headaches and pains in their throat. Plus, officials estimate thousands of fish were killed by contamination\u2002washing down streams and rivers.
\nFurther spurring residents\u2019 questions about safety \u2013 some of which were expressed at an emotional community meeting Wednesday \u2013 were crews\u2019 decision to conduct controlled detonations February 6\u2002of some tanks carrying toxic chemicals to prevent a more dangerous explosion. Though a larger blast was averted, the detonations essentially released chemicals into the air, including vinyl chloride, which at high levels could increase cancer risk or cause death.
\nOn Thursday, the head of the federal Environmental Agency Administration visited East Palestine and vowed to use the agency\u2019s enforcement authority to hold the train operator, Norfolk Southern, accountable.
\n\u201cI want the community to know that we hear you, we see you, and that we will get to the bottom of this,\u201d EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said Thursday during a news conference. \u201cWe are testing for all volatile organic chemicals. We\u2019re testing for everything. We\u2019re testing for everything that was on that train. So, we feel comfortable that we are casting a net wide enough to present a picture that will protect the community.\u201d
\nDuring the visit, Regan observed some of the ongoing remediation efforts following the hazardous train derailment. While the state EPA has the primary responsibility over the scene, Regan noted the federal arm is ready to provide aid when needed.
\nRegan also noted Norfolk Southern has signed a notice of accountability, acknowledging the company will be responsible for the cleanup.
\nFormer President Donald Trump is also planning to travel to East Palestine on Wednesday to meet with community members, according to a source familiar with his expected travel. His team is still working out details ahead of the trip.
\nGovernor speaks on air and water safety
\nTesting of air quality in more than 500 homes shows no detection of contaminants, DeWine said Friday. While 75 homes showed elevated levels of volatile organic compounds \u2013 chemicals generally present in paint, flooring carpet and other similar items \u2013 none were contaminants of concern from the derailment.
\nDeWine explained volatile organic compounds are generally present in \u201cthings we are in contact with every day,\u201d including furniture and cigarette smoke.
\n\u201cSo nothing from the train derailment was found in the homes. Nothing was found out on the street,\u201d DeWine said.
\nMore than two dozen additional homes are scheduled for air testing Friday.
\nDeWine also said 20 air quality monitors are located throughout the community to monitor air.
\nRegarding the safety of the water supply, DeWine said Friday on Fox News, \u201cThe water we have tested comes back good. We are telling people that if you\u2019re on the city water, the village water, you can certainly drink that.\u201d
\nPeople with private wells should drink bottled water until their wells are tested and cleared, he said.
\nHe said a section of a creek near the crash site remains severely contaminated.
\n\u201cWe knew this. We know this,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take a while to remediate. \u201cIt\u2019s certainly a place to be avoided at this point.\u201d
\nHe noted shortly after the crash, the creek was dammed to help prevent contamination downstream.
\nOfficials have diverted the creek to allow clean water to bypass the area of the derailment.
\nHe said it has been \u201ca very, very traumatic, horrible experience\u201d for people, and he understands their concerns.
\nA community health clinic will open next week \u201cout of an abundance of caution,\u201d DeWine said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to bring in the best experts in the country.
\n\u201cThe railroad created this problem. The people didn\u2019t create this problem,\u201d DeWine added, saying about holding Norfolk Southern accountable for the derailment. \u201cWe\u2019re going to hold their feet to the fire. We\u2019re going to stay on them. They\u2019re going to do it.\u201d
\nTesting of water from the Ohio River at various points downstream shows no high concentrations of chemicals, Jeff Swertfeger of the Greater Cincinnati Water Works told CNN on Friday morning. More than 5 million people in the state get drinking water from the river, he said.
\n\u201cFortunately we\u2019re not finding the high concentrations that they\u2019re seeing up in the East Palestine area,\u201d Swertfeger said. He added one compound, butyl acrylate, is \u201cdecreasing a bit as it\u2019s coming down the river.\u201d
\nHe noted the compound would not normally be detected in the river.
\nEarlier, another train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed Thursday morning in Michigan\u2019s Van Buren Charter Township, and local officials said\u2002there was no evidence the area was exposed to hazardous materials.
\nWhere the investigation stands
\nFederal transportation investigators are working vigorously to determine what caused the 100-car freight train to crash in Ohio, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday in a thread of tweets.
\n\u201cYou have my personal commitment that the NTSB will CONTINUE to share all information publicly as soon as possible following our analysis,\u201d board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy wrote. \u201cNext: NTSB investigators will thoroughly examine the tank cars once decontaminated. As always, we\u2019ll issue urgent safety recommendations as needed.\u201d
\nOne of the elements under scrutiny is an apparently overheated wheel bearing seen on video before the derailment, the NTSB has said. The apparent overheating began at least 43 minutes before the train derailed, according to a CNN analysis of surveillance videos the network obtained.
\nAt around 8:12 p.m. on February 3, sparks from an apparent wheel bearing overheating were visible as the train passed through Salem, Ohio, two surveillance videos obtained by CNN show. Bright light and sparks are seen emanating from one of the rail cars.
\nNo sparks were seen in surveillance video taken 14 minutes earlier as the train passed through Alliance, Ohio.
\nThe train derailed in East Palestine around 8:55 p.m., about 43 minutes after the sparks were seen in Salem.
\nIt remains unclear what caused the overheating and whether it is linked to the derailment.
\nThe train was carrying toxic materials including vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene and butyl acrylate, the US Environmental Protection Agency has said.
\nOf those, the vinyl chloride gas that caught fire could break down into compounds including hydrogen chloride and phosgene, a chemical weapon used during World War I as a choking agent, according to the EPA and the CDC. Vinyl chloride \u2013 a volatile organic compound, or VOC, and the most toxic chemical involved in the derailment \u2013 is known to cause cancer, attacking the liver, and can also affect the brain, Maria Doa of the Environmental Defense Fund told CNN.
\nResident worries not everyone is receiving proper testing
\nIt\u2019s the dangers these chemicals pose putting East Palestine residents on edge over the past two weeks.
\nIn a town hall meeting Wednesday, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway addressed the February 6 controlled detonations, saying the only option was to release the chemicals manually or risk greater danger to residents.
\n\u201cThere (were) two options: We either detonate those tanks, or they detonate themselves,\u201d Conaway told a group of reporters at Wednesday\u2019s meeting. \u201cIf we didn\u2019t do that, then they were going to blow up, and we were going to have shrapnel all across this town.\u201d
\nJami Cozza, an East Palestine resident, said she will not return home until it\u2019s safe. Cozza told CNN she\u2019s staying at a hotel paid for by the train company due to toxicity in her home.
\nCozza explained the train company told her it was safe to return home after conducting air testing. She insisted the company run soil and water tests, and only then did a toxicologist deem her house unsafe.
\n\u201cHad I not used my voice, had I not thrown a fit, I would be sitting in that house right now, when they told me that it was safe,\u201d Cozza said Thursday, adding she\u2019s worried not all residents are receiving the proper level of testing.
\nCozza noted the company has also offered to pay all of her moving expenses. \u201cIt\u2019s not about the money. It\u2019s about our house,\u201d she said.
\nRepresentatives of the train\u2019s operator, Norfolk Southern, did not attend the community meeting Wednesday, citing safety concerns after it said employees were threatened, further escalating tensions.
\nDespite the company\u2019s absence, the mayor said the operator has been collaborating with local officials \u201ctremendously.\u201d
\nEarlier this week, Norfolk Southern said it plans to create a $1 million charitable fund to support the East Palestine
\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
Cnn<\/p>\n
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