China News Agency, New York, February 13th. American media reported on the 13th that a train derailment accident occurred in Northeast Ohio on the 3rd. The derailed carriages contained dangerous chemicals such as vinyl chloride, and the local department’s handling methods caused a large number of The release of toxic gas has raised concerns about health risks among surrounding residents.
Three days after the train derailment, authorities in the Ohio town of East Palestine decided to implement a limited-release burn from five pressurized tank cars carrying vinyl chloride and venting hydrogen chloride and highly toxic phosgene into the air, Fox News reported. middle.
Authorities say this is to remove the highly flammable, toxic chemical in a controlled environment.
However, during this process, billowing black smoke appeared in the sky of the small town, after which some surrounding residents complained of headaches and physical discomfort.
Ohio and neighboring Pennsylvania imposed mandatory evacuation zones after the train derailed, the report said.
The above two states announced the lifting of evacuation measures five days after the accident, citing air quality sample readings from environmental monitoring agencies that met safety standards.
However, as concerns about health risks increase, a water company in West Virginia whose water source is the Ohio River said on the 12th that it will take precautionary measures, including strengthening the water treatment process and installing a secondary water supply at another water source. water intake etc.
Regarding water quality, Trent Conaway, the mayor of East Palestine Town, where the accident occurred, said on the 12th that officials from the Environmental Protection Agency are monitoring the air and water quality every day, and no abnormalities have been found so far.
The town has a closed water system, so the local water supply "is 100 per cent safe".
According to CNN, there are about 4,800 residents in the town of East Palestine, Ohio. Although relevant authorities have assured local residents that any immediate danger has passed, some residents have not yet returned home.
Photos of local chickens, dogs, frogs, fish, foxes and other dead animals have been posted on social media, along with reports of chemical smells in the town, prompting some to worry about long-term health risks.
Earlier, the Associated Press quoted Neil Donahue, a professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, as saying that burning vinyl chloride may form dioxins, which are worse carcinogens than vinyl chloride, It can exist in environments such as underground for many years.
The report also quoted George Gray, a professor of public health at George Washington University, as saying that no matter what chemicals are in the air, most of them will dissipate quickly when you are outdoors, and sunlight, air movement, and temperature can change it.
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