- Joined
- Feb 12, 2021
There's already a thread in A&N discussing this here, but I think a Happenings thread is appropriate as this is a developing situation with the potential to get worse as things go on, and the after effects of this is likely to poison the area for years if not appropriately handled.
On February 3rd, a Norfolk Southern freight train transporting 141 loaded cars, some containing hazardous materials, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Multiple small explosions were reported at the crash site, and after three days of firefighting, crews on the scene decided on undertaking a controlled burn of the chemicals into the air in order to allievate the risk of further explosion. This caused a release of phosgene (a clear odorless gas used in WW1 to gas fuckers out of trenches) and hydrogen chloride gas into the surrounding area, giving some pretty apocalyptic imagery and causing a die-off of local wildlife, including a North Lima lady's chickens (archive) and other pets and local animals (archive).
The extent of the damage seems to be downplayed somewhat - authorities have been quick to declare the area safe and are allowing residents to return home as of the 8th, despite multiple reports of sick and dying pets and wildlife in East Palestine and further out. The EPA have also declared the area well and groundwater to be safe to drink, despite some residents reporting fish dieoffs in local creeks (News article (archive), tweet from local (archived in A&N thread)). Chemical odors have also been reported, with the EPA assuring residents that the controlled burn may cause people to "smell these contaminants at levels much lower than what is considered hazardous". You can read the official EPA response here (archive as of 11th Feb).
It seems to be commonly believed that the response from local and federal authorities is inadequate and news coverage is being stifled (the fact that local police arrested a news reporter during coverage of a press conference (archive) is definitely contributing to that). We're still fairly early days and the health effects on the local people are likely to be felt in the coming years. I can definitely see this becoming a sort of Flint 2 situation where obfuscation of responsibility and a desire to just sweep shit under the rug causes long term health problems on a large scale and massive legal battles. Definitely curious to see where this goes.
On February 3rd, a Norfolk Southern freight train transporting 141 loaded cars, some containing hazardous materials, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Multiple small explosions were reported at the crash site, and after three days of firefighting, crews on the scene decided on undertaking a controlled burn of the chemicals into the air in order to allievate the risk of further explosion. This caused a release of phosgene (a clear odorless gas used in WW1 to gas fuckers out of trenches) and hydrogen chloride gas into the surrounding area, giving some pretty apocalyptic imagery and causing a die-off of local wildlife, including a North Lima lady's chickens (archive) and other pets and local animals (archive).
The extent of the damage seems to be downplayed somewhat - authorities have been quick to declare the area safe and are allowing residents to return home as of the 8th, despite multiple reports of sick and dying pets and wildlife in East Palestine and further out. The EPA have also declared the area well and groundwater to be safe to drink, despite some residents reporting fish dieoffs in local creeks (News article (archive), tweet from local (archived in A&N thread)). Chemical odors have also been reported, with the EPA assuring residents that the controlled burn may cause people to "smell these contaminants at levels much lower than what is considered hazardous". You can read the official EPA response here (archive as of 11th Feb).
It seems to be commonly believed that the response from local and federal authorities is inadequate and news coverage is being stifled (the fact that local police arrested a news reporter during coverage of a press conference (archive) is definitely contributing to that). We're still fairly early days and the health effects on the local people are likely to be felt in the coming years. I can definitely see this becoming a sort of Flint 2 situation where obfuscation of responsibility and a desire to just sweep shit under the rug causes long term health problems on a large scale and massive legal battles. Definitely curious to see where this goes.
