By Stephen Lester.
Earlier this month marked the two-year anniversary of the horrific train derailment and the subsequent burning of train cars that changed the lives of pretty much everyone who lives in East Palestine, OH. The decision by Norfolk Southern to intentionally burn 5 tanker cars carrying vinyl chloride and other toxic chemicals released a toxic cloud of chemicals into the community.
The community marked the two-year anniversary by holding several events while awaiting Vice-President JD Vance, former senator for Ohio who visited that day. Vance’s message was that East Palestine “will not be forgotten.“ But outside the press conference, the group Justice for East Palestine Residents and Workers held a protest with signs saying, “Stop the Cover-up” and “We are still sick.” Residents expressed hope that Vance might meet with them directly and listen to their concerns and pleas for help.
Earlier the group held a national meeting of residents, workers and trade unionists to demand that residents be given healthcare through the declaration of East Palestine as a “mass incident casualty site” under the Stafford Act that would provide victims with federally funded healthcare and money to relocate from their toxic homes.
The situation in East Palestine remains fragile for many residents who continue to try to make sense of the many adverse health symptoms people are still experiencing, such as unexplained rashes, asthma, coughing and more, despite assurances from EPA that everything is fine. The biggest questions that remain unanswered are about the long-term health consequences of the accident. Thousands of people were exposed to many chemicals in the toxic cloud including dioxin, one of the most potent carcinogens ever tested. People want to know what is going to happen to their children and to their families. Some like Jamie Wallace, feel that things are beyond repair, that East Palestine will never be the same again, “it will never be the East Palestine that we knew and loved, it will never be home again.”
The ongoing legal battles continue in the community. The village accepted a $22 million settlement with Norfolk Southern to “strengthen the future of our community,” according to the mayor. This settlement brought the total funds given to the village by Norfolk Southern to more than $60 million. Meanwhile, the $600 million dollar class action settlement between the residents and Norfolk Southern is on hold because of an appeal filed by many of the people named in the lawsuit. Some residents we outraged to learn that the settlement called for each family, whether there were two people in the family or six, to receive a lump sum payment of $70,000 less any temporary relocation costs that the family might have already received from the rail company. Many believe that the settlement does not do enough to compensate the residents for possible future health effects. People are concerned about developing cancer and other serious ailments in the future. They also want to know what the lawyers uncovered during their investigation so they can better judge the risks. Oddly, the judge overseeing the case ordered the residents who are appealing the settlement to put up $850,00 bond to continue their appeal. This order is also being appealed. According to local news reports, at least nine other lawsuits have been filed including one on the day of the anniversary alleging that people have died because of the train derailment.
CHEJ’s Science Director Stephen Lester participated in a Town Hall meeting shortly after the accident and CHEJ has been involved since providing science and organizing support to the residents.