The "most dangerous" train in the United States exploded, and the press conference reporter was arrested! Four major questions to be answered

　　China News Service, February 14th (Chen Caixia, Meng Xiangjun, He Luman) Headache, nausea, eye pain... These are the symptoms that residents of northeastern Ohio have experienced in the past few days.

All this was due to a train derailment accident in the state more than 10 days ago.

　　As the derailed carriages carried dangerous chemicals such as vinyl chloride, large amounts of toxic gases were released.

Some netizens worry that this incident may become the US version of the "Chernobyl" accident.

　　Why did this accident happen?

What are the dangers of chemicals in cars?

Does the U.S. government have reservations about known information?

Why are residents and netizens so worried?

At present, there are multiple questions about the accident, which still need to be answered...

Question one:

Is there an early warning of the accident?

　　On February 3, local time, a train carrying dangerous chemicals derailed outside the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, causing a fire.

The scene was full of flames, and a huge black smoke similar to a "mushroom cloud" rose.

On the evening of February 3 local time, a train derailed in northeastern Ohio, USA, and a fire broke out.

The picture shows that part of the train at the scene of the accident is burning.

　　According to the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), the train involved had 20 carriages loaded with toxic substances, including 5 carriages carrying compressed vinyl chloride.

The carriages continued to burn after they derailed, and there were several small-scale explosions.

　　Local rescuers extinguished the fire urgently, but for safety reasons, the highly toxic chemicals contained in the carriage had to be burned.

　　"The vinyl chloride content of the five derailed cars is currently unstable and could explode, producing deadly debris and toxic fumes," Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said.

　　Norfolk Southern Company burnt the still smoking tanker full of highly toxic chemicals in a "controlled" manner as a safety precaution.

　　According to the Associated Press, the train derailment incident may have been foreshadowed beforehand.

The derailment of a Norfolk Southern train may have been caused by a faulty axle, and workers were warned about a mechanical problem shortly before the crash, federal investigators said.

　　Could a mechanical problem be the cause of the accident?

Investigators only said that the cause of the accident is under investigation, but it is unclear when it will be announced.

Question 2:

How dangerous are the items in the car?

　　Mandatory evacuation zones in Ohio and neighboring Pennsylvania were lifted five days after the train derailment, citing air quality sample readings from environmental monitoring agencies that met safety standards.

　　Federal and local officials told residents that the water system was not contaminated.

　　However, neither the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nor the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have published a full list of chemicals carried by the train.

The EPA said the main chemicals involved in the accident were vinyl chloride, its by-products phosgene and hydrogen chloride, butyl acrylate and more.

The picture shows billowing smoke from the derailed train at the scene of the accident.

　　Information shows that vinyl chloride is a toxic and flammable gas used in industrial manufacturing.

Short-term, high-concentration exposure can lead to acute poisoning of contacts, causing symptoms including dizziness, headache, slow heart rate, and lower blood pressure; patients with severe poisoning may experience disturbance of consciousness or even death.

　　"Burning vinyl chloride may form dioxin, which is a worse carcinogen than vinyl chloride, and it can exist in environments such as underground for many years." Neil Donahue, a professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, said. .

　　Melissa Henry, a resident of the affected area, said that before the mandatory evacuation began on the 4th, she had left with her two children and went to her parents' house outside the evacuation area because her youngest son's "eyes became like tomatoes." Same red, and coughing badly."

　　Melissa said she has been doing laundry, cleaning and changing the filter in the furnace since returning home.

"I don't know if this is going to work, but we have to do something."

On February 3, local time, a train derailed in northeastern Ohio, USA, and then caused a fire.

　　According to CNN, the owner of a nearby farm said several of his foxes were dying.

"The smoke and chemicals from the trains are the only reason. We're told that chemicals in the air are safe, but definitely not safe for animals ... or people," he said.

　　In addition, many people posted photos of the dead bodies of local chickens, dogs, frogs, fish and other animals on social media, and some people said that they smelled chemicals in the town.

　　In fact, the chemical substance vinyl chloride alone is very dangerous, not to mention other unpublished chemicals.

As for the impact of the leakage of these chemicals on the health of residents and the ecological environment, the authorities' statement did not convince the public.

Question three:

Why was the reporter arrested at the press

　　On the 8th local time, at the press conference held by the Ohio government on the train chemical leakage incident, Evan Lambert, an African-American reporter from the "NewsNation" media (NewsNation), was asked to stop reporting on the spot when the governor was speaking.

The reason was that Lambert was "very loud and disruptive" at the time.

　　Later, he clashed with law enforcement officers and was subsequently arrested.

On February 8, local time, African-American journalist Lambert was arrested at a press conference by the Ohio state government.

Image source: Screenshot of CNN report

　　After the confrontation, Lambert was asked to leave the news conference, but he repeatedly refused, CNN reported.

Two police officers then grabbed Lambert by the arms and forcibly led him away from the scene.

　　"No journalist wants to be arrested while doing their job, and I don't think that's going to happen in our country, which is very important," Lambert said in an interview after his release.

　　"We will not forget Lambert's efforts in reporting on the tragic train derailment in Ohio that affected thousands," News Nation Washington bureau chief Mike Vikela wrote in a statement. The promise of a journalist."

Question four:

Are there more unknown dangers?

Is the American version of "Chernobyl" coming?

　　The arrest of the reporter triggered heated discussions among foreign netizens on social media. They also expressed their opinions on the accident in Ohio.

Some netizens questioned: "What happened in Ohio?"

　　"This chemical spill in Ohio looks bad, but the media barely talks about it. Where are the environmentalists?"

　　"The huge explosion and chemical spill in Ohio that endangered the lives of American residents should be the bigger story...why didn't the media cover this incident more?"

　　Foreign netizens raised questions on social media.

　　Some netizens worry that this accident may become the US version of the "Chernobyl Incident".

　　The US "Newsweek" reported that when US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg positively commented on the infrastructure investment results of the Biden administration on the 13th, he remained silent on the large-scale train derailment that occurred in Ohio earlier this month.

His silence caused dissatisfaction among many netizens and politicians.

　　“Buttigieg gushes when it comes to freeways or construction workers,” tweeted David Giglio, a former Republican congressional candidate from California. “But when it comes to Ohio When an ecological catastrophe occurs, he is like a missing soldier on the battlefield."

　　In addition to the ecological disaster, the chemical spill also raised concerns about the safety of American railroads.

　　According to the Associated Press, about 7% to 8% of the 30 million shipments that U.S. railroads ship to the country each year contain dangerous substances.

However, due to the mixed placement of railway freight, in addition to carriages transporting grain or coal, carriages carrying dangerous goods may be found on almost all trains.

　　The rail industry is generally considered the safest option for most cargo.

But because railroads run through the heart of nearly every town in the country, just one dangerous accident can be disastrous, especially in densely populated areas.

　　However, for the local people, the biggest question at present is whether there are other toxic chemicals still leaking, which will be very dangerous... (End)