Living next to a chemical disaster in Ohio
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 16 February 2023
⏱️ 20 minutes
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Summary
Nearly two weeks ago near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed, forcing residents in East Palestine to evacuate. But as cleanup continues, many residents still have questions about whether it’s safe to keep living there.
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A Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3. Fifty cars derailed, 20 of which contained hazardous materials. The dangerous chemicals released as a result of the accident have forced many to evacuate the area.
There are still many unknowns about the environmental impacts of the derailment. But water officials are tracking contamination in the Ohio River and local waterways. Some residents have reported side effects from breathing the chemicals, such as headaches and nausea.
The Washington Post’s Scott Dance traveled to East Palestine to attend a town hall and talk to residents about how they are coping.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | A lot of residents in the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, are scared and angry. |
| 0:11.0 | On a Friday night almost two weeks ago, a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed |
| 0:15.4 | on its way through town. |
| 0:17.3 | Train cars caught fire and released dangerous materials into the air. |
| 0:21.5 | And according to residents, they felt the impact almost immediately. |
| 0:25.2 | I mean, people have been saying they've had headaches, people are concerned about rashes |
| 0:29.8 | that they say have appeared just since this all happened. |
| 0:34.6 | The health officials are not downplaying the possibility that these ailments could be |
| 0:41.9 | linked to these chemicals, but that the fears in town are that they just don't know what |
| 0:47.4 | the long-term effects will be. |
| 0:49.3 | Scott Dance is a reporter on the climate and environment team at the post. |
| 0:53.4 | Though the environmental protection agency says their testing indicates the air is safe, |
| 0:58.4 | many residents are unsure and their demanding transparency from the train company. |
| 1:04.1 | Even though there aren't solid answers to a lot of questions they're asking, I think |
| 1:09.2 | that the sense is so strong that we have to take action, we can't be quiet. |
| 1:16.1 | There are a lot of statements along the lines of if we don't stand up for ourselves, nobody |
| 1:19.8 | will. |
| 1:21.8 | In the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. |
| 1:25.2 | I'm Kim Bellware. |
| 1:27.0 | It's Thursday, February 16th. |
| 1:29.6 | Today, what we know about the environmental disaster in East Palestine and why a town hall |
| 1:35.8 | meeting on Wednesday left many residents with more questions than answers. |
... |
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