Sofia Mark ‘25
Residents in Ohio have been concerned for their safety ever since a train carrying hazardous materials derailed there a few weeks ago. On February 3, a freight train carrying different toxins derailed along the Norfolk Southern Railway Fort Wayne Line in East Palestine. A controlled burn of the hazardous materials released chemicals into the air, surface waters, and soil. In the area's creeks, dead fish have been floating around, and a sinister odor has persisted.
The 5,000-person community near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line is receiving more federal assistance as some residents grow increasingly concerned about the safety of some neighborhoods. Following the derailment two weeks ago, at least eight class action lawsuits have been filed in Ohio courts. Similar allegations of negligence against Norfolk Southern are made in the lawsuits, which are still pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Residents have been urged by federal and local officials to drink bottled water. A few days after the derailment, the authorities declared it safe for people to return to the town, but environmental experts have expressed doubt. The crash's chemical emissions, which also include butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride, can cause symptoms ranging from nausea to cancer with enough exposure.
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