Category Toxic Chemical Release

Feb 25 2023

BIDEN LEAVES OHIO TO DIE


Drew Hernandez posted originally on Rumble on: Feb 24, 10:34 pm EST

Feb 18 2023

Hours After Trump Announces Upcoming Visit to East Palestine, FEMA Reverses Course and Will Support Ohio Community


Posted originally on the CTH on February 17, 2023 | Sundance

The announcement by President Trump with his intent to visit East Palestine next Wednesday, followed moments later by a reversal announcement from FEMA stating they will now offer support to East Palestine, do not seem coincidental.

The Biden administration, including the EPA, FEMA and Transporation Secretary, was likely very worried about the optics of getting blasted by President Trump very visibly next week for their lack of urgency and concern.   Moments after Trump announces his visit, FEMA reverses their prior denial of aid. lol

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just hours after saying he “[did] not expect” members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be in East Palestine, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine now confirms the government entity will, in fact, be sending a crew to assist with the aftermath of the train derailment in the village.

In a joint statement released Friday night, DeWine and FEMA Regional Administrator Thomas C. Sivak said the agency would deploy a Regional Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to Columbiana County starting Saturday, along with a senior response official. The workers will “support ongoing operations, including incident coordination and ongoing assessments of potential long-term recovery needs.”

[…] DeWine had previously requested federal help, and today the Department of Health and Human Services announced toxicologists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be journeying to East Palestine to assist with public health testing. However, the governor’s request for FEMA assistance was initially denied, with the agency apparently telling his office the current situation “[did] not quality for assistance.” (read more)

Feb 18 2023

REPORT – President Donald Trump Will Visit East Palestine, Ohio, Next Week in Support Effort to Keep Attention on Community


Posted originally on the CTH on February 17, 2023 | Sundance

According to Fox News President Trump is planning a visit to East Palestine, Ohio, next week to show support for the community in the aftermath of a massive toxic chemical spill, the result of a Norfolk Southern railroad derailment.

The East Palestine community and surrounding region are very concerned about the toxic chemicals that were leaked into the environment as a result of the decision to detonate the toxic cargo, and intentionally burn off the chemicals as a form of containment.

Despite state and federal assurances, small streams and rivers have shown major wildlife impacts including dead fish, frogs and other aquatic creatures. In turn, this raises alarms about water and air quality from the chemical release.  “Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine requested HHS and CDC assistance on Feb. 16, after being denied aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA told DeWine Ohio isn’t eligible for disaster assistance, even amid the derailment.”

OHIO – Former President Trump will travel to East Palestine, Ohio next week to visit the area and members of the community as they grapple with the aftermath of the train derailment that led to a large release of toxic chemicals, Fox News has learned.

A source familiar with the former president’s plans told Fox News that Trump plans to travel to East Palestine on Wednesday to meet with members of the community. The source said Trump, who announced his 2024 presidential campaign in November, has a strong relationship with the people of Ohio.

Trump’s planned visit comes after a train derailment on Feb. 3, when about 50 cars on a Norfolk Southern Railroad train carrying vinyl chloride derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, a small community that is located along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

The company opted to release the gas from the derailed cars, releasing potentially deadly fumes and other dangerous chemicals into the air, to prevent a disastrous explosion. Local residents were told to evacuate the area during the release, but were assured it was safe to return on Feb. 9.

Residents of the East Palestine community have reported severe symptoms from toxins and chemicals that have seeped into the air and waterways since the derailment on Feb. 7. (read more)

The timing of the visit will be good for keeping public awareness of the issue at the forefront.  I can well imagine this entire region will need a great deal of long-term support; especially if the railroad begins to soften in its obligations to the community.

Feb 16 2023

Railroad Executives Skip Townhall Meeting with Concerned Residents from East Palestine, Ohio


Posted originally on the CTH on February 15, 2023 | Sundance

Credit where credit is due. Fox News Jesse Waters has been holding the spotlight on the government and railroad officials who have been downplaying the issues after the toxic chemical spill and explosions in the town of East Palestine, Ohio. {Direct Rumble Link}

The residents of the community are reporting several ongoing health issues and a community townhall was scheduled today.  However, executives with Norfolk Southern Railroad cancelled their attendance, leaving the citizens of the community frustrated.  Additionally, the railway contracted air and water testing with a company well known for minimizing the effects of environmental disasters to satisfy its corporate employers {Go Deep}.

Residents are being asked to sign liability waivers indemnifying the railroad, prior to the private testing of air and water quality.  This just seems very sketchy, all things considered and raises additional questions from the residents.  The federal EPA is not providing any assurances or answers.  Jesse Waters outlines some of the issues tonight during an interview with Ohio Congressman Bill Johnson.  WATCH:

The opening monologue from both Jesse Waters and Tucker Carlson stayed on this issue tonight. Given the nature of the effort to downplay the concern of the residents from both federal and state officials, it is good to see Carlson and Waters keeping the attention on this impacted community.

Someone on the Twitter brought up a good point…  It would be nice to see Ohio congressman Jim Jordan get involved to support Bill Johnson in this district.  Jim Jordan has a lot of power in Washington DC.  Perhaps together they could pressure FEMA to engage.

[Direct Rumble Link]

Feb 15 2023

East Palestine Railway Toxins Did Reach the Ohio River – Contamination Plume Traveling Approximately 1 MPH – Various Municipal Water Intakes May Close


Posted originally on the CTH on February 14, 2023 | Sundance 

I took notes during the Ohio government update on the East Palestine train derailment and toxic chemical spill response.  The full press briefing is below. The media present was a mix of uncurious stenographers and some inquisitive journalists.

After about 20 minutes of generally obtuse outlines intended to downplay the seriousness of the crisis, which included a game and fish commissioner saying 3,500 fish were killed by the chemical pollutants – yet never actually saying *what* about the chemicals killed the fish, suddenly the Ohio EPA official admitted something important.

WATER QUALITY – After the Ohio EPA spent several minutes saying the released chemicals are *CURRENTLY* dissipating to “non traceable levels” at various points in the downstream waterways, suddenly she admits the “initial slack” of chemicals did reach the Ohio River. [Prompted 19:34, WATCH]  The “Contamination Plume” is travelling down the Ohio River at approximately 1 mph, providing the various municipal water systems the ability to disconnect from the Ohio River intake as the toxins pass by.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=LcPi9XXTwWY%3Fstart%3D1173

Top men: “we are pretty confident the low levels of toxins are not being passed on to the customers“….  So, there’s that.

AIR QUALITY – Well, the next soundbite below tells you a lot about the situation, TEN DAYS after the initial crisis…

Prompted, just hit play:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=LcPi9XXTwWY%3Fstart%3D3486

.

Feb 15 2023

Video Timeline of East Palestine, Ohio, Chemical Disaster


Posted originally on the CTH on February 14, 2023

An interesting 10 minute video showing the timeline of local media reports and citizen reports of the train derailment and subsequent chemical disaster in/around East Palestine, Ohio.

The video takes the viewer through the initial train derailment, then shows citizens raw footage video of the next several days, including the impacts from the decision of the authorities to detonate and “burn off” the destabilizing and toxic chemicals.  WATCH:  

Feb 14 2023

A major story the media is missing 


By Kimberly Guilfoyle Posted on Rumble on February 13, 2023

While objects being shot down in the sky is dominating headlines, there’s another story that deserves just as much attention.

Feb 14 2023

Ohio Train Derailment Releasing Toxic Chemicals Raises Alarm Bells


Posted originally on the CTH on February 13, 2023 | Sundance

At approximately 8:55pm on February 3rd a major train derailment happened near the border between Ohio and Pennsylvania. In an Ohio town called East Palestine, a Norfolk Southern train pulling 150 cars derailed. 20 of those cars were carrying hazardous materials, including a liquified substance called “Vinyl Chloride.”

A massive explosion and fire resulted from the derailment and the nature of the cargo. In an effort to mitigate the problem, responding emergency authorities dug a trench and allowed the chemicals to burn off into the atmosphere. However, vinyl chloride turns into hydrochloric acid when it mixes with water vapor. The resulting chemical toxins can travel with wind, forming toxic clouds.

Several people in the downwind region from the initial explosion have reported health issues. Additionally, animals and fish have been reported to have been killed in the zone where the chemical cloud traveled.

There is now increasing concern about longer term impacts from the release of the chemicals including vinyl chloride.

Norfolk Southern and the EPA released the full list of chemicals that were being transported, they include:

♦Vinyl chloride: a colorless gas that is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics and is highly flammable and decomposes to make toxic fumes. According to the National Library of Medicine, it is also carcinogenic and can cause other health issues.

♦Butyl acrylate: a clear liquid that is used for making paints, sealants and adhesives. It is flammable and can cause skin, eye and respiratory irritation.

♦Ethylhexyl acrylate: a colorless liquid used to make paints and plastics. It can cause skin and respiratory irritation and, under moderate heat, can produce hazardous vapor.

♦Ethylene glycol monobutyl: a colorless liquid used as a solvent for paint and inks, as well as some dry-cleaning solutions. It is classed as acutely toxic, able to cause serious or permanent injury, and highly flammable. Vapors can irritate the eyes and nose, and ingestion can cause headaches and vomiting. (source)

According to NewsWeek, “Kirk Kollar of the Ohio EPA said the levels of toxic chemicals observed in nearby waterways “were immediately toxic to fish,” and that spilt material had leaked into Sulphur Run. Lesley Run, Little Beaver Creek and the Ohio River were being monitored.”

The U.S. EPA said on Friday that Norfolk Southern contractors had installed a dam and a water bypass at Sulphur Run to prevent further contamination and had also stopped the remaining spilled chemicals entering the stream.  The EPA is working with the Ohio EPA to investigate soil contamination at the derailment site.” (more)

(SOURCE – HHS, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry)

The video embeds in the tweets below are additionally concerning and informative:

The White House and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have been silent on the issue.

People in the affected communities, which are now quite diverse due to the wind travel of the chemicals, are rightly concerned and apparently not getting enough information from anyone about the potential for longer term health issues.