A Closer Look At East Palestine
I am still amazed learning of the Netflix movie that was released December 30. Too much coincidence. I guess we will need to wait and see what legislation this event brings
This post will explore the levels of concern for residents compared to risks further removed from the accident scene, with a look at some past accidents.
Also, the curious decision of the governor not to declare an Emergency and seek Federal Aid which could be used to help the residents most affected is discussed briefly. I will also look at EPA ‘s response and explore if a controlled burn was the correct decision.
I wont rehash a lot of the details of events as these would be known by anyone following events, but the basics are as follows. The derailment of a Blackrock owned train occurred on February 3rd with fire and leakage, a controlled burn was initiated on Feb 6 with chemicals drained into a trench and burned to avert an explosion. Residents within 2 miles (1 mile?) were evacuated .The fire was alleged to be extinguished on Feb 8. Residents were permitted to return to their homes (meaning the state would no longer pay for their hotel ). The Governor never declared an Emergency and did not request Federal Aid so residents are limited in getting financial support.
Here is a good video with a resident explaining her experience
Although technically the residents are told all is well in terms of air quality and surface contamination, they are suffering symptoms from what was likely some level of exposure before being evacuated. I was in a major house fire a few years ago and suffered symptoms for a couple of weeks as a result, so its not unusual symptoms persist w/o re-exposure.
As for water, testing is ongoing but residents are being given bottled water. I doubt any human is drinking tap or well water although pets and other animals might be. I think it will be awhile before anyone drinks the water there, regardless of clean test results. Property values will likely not recover in the affected area. Anyways, we have all seen the pictures of dead fish and heard stories of dead or sick pets/animals, disturbing.
In college I worked for a chemical company dealing with many hazardous chemicals, some of which were carcinogenic. Outdoor Tanks leaked crap onto the soil. It was later closed down by EPA for contaminating the area. I developed kidney cancer 40 years later. Related? No idea.
Medical Concerns (taken from a NJ source-they had their own accident a decade ago which I will get to)
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1 ppm over 8 hours. I suspect residents might have been exposed to more but nobody is reporting the numbers (if they even had them the first 24-48 hours)
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Might be a good idea for residents with symptoms to get tested and document their health status . Many are poor and probably cant afford this
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Might be a good idea to warn any women who are pregnant or might be thinking of doing so
https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/2001.pdf
Of course you can bet the train company will be offering residents money in return for not suing. Thats what they did in the Paulsburg NJ Vinyl Chloride Spill in 2012 (discussed later)
Since many residents are experiencing symptoms and EPA is saying there is or was no exposure, something does not compute. What exactly is causing the human symptoms and dead animal fish?
The information control officer typically appointed for incidents of this nature seems Missing In Action
Why wasn’t an Emergency declared by the Governor. This is necessary to get the residents Federal Aid,
The Governor activates the State emergency operations plan, declares a state of emergency, and may request a State/DHS joint Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA). The State and Federal officials conduct the PDA in coordination with tribal/local officials as required and determine whether the impact of the event warrants a request for a Presidential declaration of a major disaster or emergency. Based on the results of the PDA, the Governor may request a Presidential declaration specifying the kind of Federal assistance needed.
https://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nrf/nrf-stafford.pdf
And When Belden — faced with vet bills rapidly mounting to $11,000 — went to the railway company to ask for financial assistance with a letter saying the heart failure was likely caused by the chemicals on the train, she says she was told "that this was not something they would pay for now because it isn't an emergency."
"They would possibly entertain paying this in the future and that I should file a damaged property claim but it would take weeks. At this point we couldn't afford to keep going with Leo's treatment and he wasn't improving," she said. "Our options were come up with $11,000, take him home to suffer and eventually die, or put him to sleep. We didn't want him to suffer anymore so we made the impossible decision to put him to sleep."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-dead-fish-vinyl-chloride-hazardous-materials-affecting-pets-wildlife/
Again, the question must be asked, why didn’t the Governor declare an emergency?
The Governor activates the State emergency operations plan, declares a state of emergency, and may request a State/DHS joint Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA). The State and Federal officials conduct the PDA in coordination with tribal/local officials as required and determine whether the impact of the event warrants a request for a Presidential declaration of a major disaster or emergency. Based on the results of the PDA, the Governor may request a Presidential declaration specifying the kind of Federal assistance needed.
https://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nrf/nrf-stafford.p
Whats he up to here?
On Tuesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine held a press conference for the Feb. 3 derailment. He said Norfolk Southern did not classify the train as a "high hazardous material train" despite multiple cars containing toxic chemical vinyl chloride.
"This is absurd … Congress needs to take a look at how these things are handled," DeWine said.
As an observer of how they use Problem-Reaction-Solution to achieve goals and keeping in mind the Predictive Programming Film by Netflix one has to wonder if purpose of this accident will be increased regulation of hazardous materials to drive up transportation costs and increase inflation, and drive producers out of the US
Here is the night of the crash, I think
This is what we saw February 4
Not good
This on February 6
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Looks worse but that smoke is rising sky high
Poor birds,
Supposedly, the Fire went out on February 8 when residents were told they could return home . I didn’t see that reported anywhere
On the evening of Feb. 13, U.S. EPA discontinued air monitoring for phosgene and hydrogen chloride community air monitoring. After the fire was extinguished on Feb. 8, the threat of vinyl chloride fire producing phosgene and hydrogen chloride no longer exists. U.S. EPA will continue 24-hour community air monitoring for other chemicals of concern.
On their Feb 8 update they said nothing about the fire being extinguished. They did report
Fires in two rail cars containing non-hazardous cargo increased in intensity as Norfolk Southern continued work in the cars.
https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=15933
February 5, 2023 Update
Air Monitoring
U.S. EPA community air monitoring readings did not detect any contaminants of concern other than particulate matter on Feb. 5. Norfolk Southern’s contractor has also been conducting air monitoring in both the community and near/in work zones. Low levels of VOCs have been detected for brief periods in the community near the work zones and staging areas. Roaming air monitoring teams conducted additional air monitoring in these areas to verify localized readings
How low is low?. Were workers required to wear respirators or not?
Also, Norfolk Southern’s contractor doing testing is like letting Pfizer do the clinical trials of their vaccines. Oh wait.
The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH), a private contractor hired by Norfolk Southern to test water, soil, and air quality in East Palestine, Ohio, has a history of minimizing the effects of environmental disasters to satisfy its corporate employers, according to critics.
EPA is not testing homes and businesses and instead recommending residents sign contracts with CTEH, a consulting firm hired by Norfolk Southern with a controversial reputation.
Me thinks these Public Private Partnerships have gone too far.
U.S. EPA and Norfolk Southern contractors have collected surface water samples for analysis. Results are not expected until Feb. 7-8.
What were the results?
Oh wait, here they are on Feb 15. What took so long? Please tell me EPA did not have CTEH test this
As of 3 p.m., the results show no detection of contaminants in raw water from the five wells that feed into East Palestine’s municipal water system. He said the Ohio EPA is confident the water is safe to drink.
“Test results from the combined, treated water from all five wells showed no detection of contaminants associated with the derailment,” DeWine said.
East Palestine’s municipal water system, which provides drinking water for most area residents, takes in water from five wells that are located approximately one mile from the derailment site.
The wells are at least 56 feet below the surface and covered by a steel casing.
“Although it was unlikely that any contaminants entered the wells that serve the municipal water supply, Ohio EPA tested the combined, treated water soon after the derailment. Those tests showed no contamination,” DeWine said.
East Palestine Train Derailment
Private water wells may be closer to the surface, and the Ohio EPA recommends those who get their drinking water from private wells have them tested by an independent consultant and use bottled water until those test results come back.
https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/east-palestine-train-derailment/dewine-says-new-testing-confirms-safe-drinking-water-in-east-palestine/
February 6, 2023 Update
Air Monitoring and Sampling
Last night, a change in operations prompted U.S. EPA to assess air monitoring and air sampling locations. U.S. EPA moved air monitoring stations in preparation for a planned burn of affected rail cars, and resumed real-time air monitoring operations this afternoon. Prior to the relocation, air monitoring readings were below detection levels for most contaminants, except for particulate matter.
For most? What about those they detected. What were they and what were the levels? Why are they not disclosing this
https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=15933
Feb. 12, 2023 Update
Air Monitoring
U.S. EPA continues to conduct air monitoring throughout the East Palestine community. Air monitoring since the fire went out has not detected any levels of concern in the community that can be attributed to the incident at this time. For example, there have been some exceedances of PM2.5 screening values, but those are both upwind and downwind of the derailment site so likely had another cause.
More word salad. What level would merit concern?
Residents may still smell odors from the site. If you experience symptoms, Columbiana County Health Department recommends calling your medical provider.
What levels of what chemical would be detectable by smell? Vinyl Chloride is only detectable at 3000 ppm. Thats high
No detectable risk for health except liver cancer you might get in 10 -20 years.
Screening levels
Screening levels or exposure limits are concentrations of specific chemicals in media (air, water, soil). ATSDR uses screening levels to determine if more evaluation is needed. Levels above a minimal risk level are not necessarily harmful; the potential for harm depends on how high the levels were and how long the exposure lasted, along with personal traits and habits.
An MRL is an estimate of the amount of a chemical a person can eat, drink, or breathe each day without a detectable risk to health. MRLs are developed for health effects other than cancer.
Read that again
MRLs are developed for health effects other than cancer.
Here is Tucker Carlson
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Tucker suggests nobody was testing the water, just the air
Mr. Holmstrom managed the Chemical Safety Board’s investigation into the 2010 explosion at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, which caused the worst offshore spill in American history. He said the Ohio derailment was significant enough that it could merit a presidential commission along the lines of the one that was created after the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
The spill affected about seven and a half miles of stream, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and killed an estimated 3,500 fish as of Feb. 8, mostly small suckers, minnows, darters and sculpin. Residents have reported dead or sickened chickens and other animals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/climate/ohio-train-derailment-chemical-spill-health.html
CINCINNATI —
Greater Cincinnati Water Works officials said they're continuing to monitor the water quality of the Ohio River after trace amounts of two industrial chemicals leaked into the riverdue to a train derailment in East Palestine.
Though the spill happened nearly 300 miles from Cincinnati, GCWW says it is part of a network of water utilities that constantly monitor the Ohio River and its tributaries.
Officials said GCWW officials have been working, looking at how they would detect the chemical and how they'd handle the treatment process in Cincinnati.
"During the past few days, GCWW scientists have looked at the size and location of the spill and calculated the travel time of the spill’s plume to reach Cincinnati. This is an advantage of the Ohio River, as its large size helps with diluting a spill, making it easier to treat," GCWW officials said.
GCWW is also looking at how to treat the spill if the plume reaches Cincinnati.
"We know that trace amounts of this chemical can cause minor odors to the water, but through conventional treatment and the use of powdered activated carbon, we can ensure a supply of safe and healthy water remains available to our customers," GCWW said in a statement.
Clermont County Water Resources Department also issued a statement saying they are aware of the train derailment and are monitoring the situation.
https://www.wlwt.com/amp/article/east-palestine-train-derailment-ohio-river-water-quality/42885837
Local news station WLWT reported on Monday that after the burn began, small amounts of the chemicals were identified in the Ohio River, which winds through or borders Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. It supplies more than 5 million people with drinking water. Meanwhile, states hundreds of miles away are also evaluating its water source to ensure it remains safe to drink.
On Monday, local news station WAVE 3 also reported that Louisville Water Company doesn't expect Louisville, Kentucky, to be affected by the chemical spill, but will continue to monitor the situation.
Ohio River Flow
I don’t know if people know how big the Ohio River is. Before the EPA came into being in the early 70’s it was a favored dumping ground for chemical companies , yet we survived
400k cfs ~ 180 million gallons/minute
Thats a hell of a dilution factor
https://snoflo.org/river-levels/ohio-river
Now lets look at that New Jersey Accident. 23,000 gallons of Vinyl Chloride leaked into a creek connected to the Delaware River
2012-Paulsboro-New Jersey
In the early morning hours of November 30, 2012, a half dozen rail cars derailed on a bridge crossing the Mantua Creek. One car containing vinyl chloride was ripped open after crashing into the creek below, releasing 20,000 gallons (23,000) of the chemical.
When the vinyl chloride mixed with water, a vapor cloud was created, engulfing large swaths of the town.
NTSB investigator Paul Stencil said local authorities failed to follow standard procedures requiring the use of breathing apparatuses for responders -- even though monitors found unsafe concentrations of the chemical in the air.
"One hour and a half after the derailment, the hazardous materials team air monitoring data showed the first responders being exposed to vinyl chloride concentrations that significantly exceeded permissible or safe levels," Stencil testified.
Fire officials also set up a command post 50 yards from where tank cars were leaking. Safety standards called for the post to be positioned in a safe area outside the hot zone.
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/ntsb-paulsboro-train-derailment-hearing/1963207/?amp=1
As Conrail started to clean up the chemical spill, rumors about cash payouts started spreading.
"It sounds kind of strange that they are going to give everybody $500 to be quiet, I guess," Ward said.
Like dozens of other residents we observed, Ward went to the Family Assistance Center to file a claim and listened as a Conrail representative promised him cash to sign papers.
"By signing this release you are forever barred from bringing a lawsuit or any claim against any of the companies or individuals listed on the release for any reason," a Conrail representative can be heard saying in an undercover video, after a concerned resident agreed to take our hidden camera inside to document the process on tape.
"Giving up the right to be a part of the class action lawsuit means that you're giving up the potential to receive more money than your offered settlement payment," the representative said.
They were offered various amounts of money.
"The railroad is offering you $650," the representative told the resident.
Those affected were told they could sign the papers now or they could risk losing a chance at money in the future.
"If I sign this and I was to get cancer, what would happen?" the resident said.
The Conrail representative responded by saying, "Well first of all, they would have to prove it was caused by the derailment, and how are they going to prove that?"
Residents were told they couldn't have a copy of the confidential agreement, but Action News got one. The contract releases the company of any liability for the incident, including unknown injuries spanning from brain damage, dementia, cancer, and even death.
https://6abc.com/archive/8999309
Paulsboro NTSB Investigation
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RAR1401.pdf
Read the NTSB report, those first responders didn’t have a clue. East Palestine had a much more serious situation due to fire and volume. I think they handled it pretty well seeing as they got the fire out and the spill contained by Feb 8. Cleaning up the contaminated soil is going to take some time though, and god only knows about the ground water
Some claim the controlled burn was stupid due to Phosgene. According to EPA this was not an issue.
On Friday, Charles Rodriguez, a community involvement coordinator for the EPA, said in an email that the EPA did detect some phosgene, but not enough to be dangerous.
“U.S. EPA did monitor for phosgene and only had a short-term detection of around 3 parts per billion immediately downwind and at the initiation of the control burn,” he wrote.
At best a clean burn gets you to 40 ppm, but this gas is hot and rises above the clouds, and its greatly diluted before any reaches the ground far downwind. Remember, at ambient temperature Vinyl Chloride forms a cloud and stays at ground level due to it is heavier than air at ambient temperature
An analysis of the combustion gases from VCM reveal the following composition: HC1 27,000 ppm; CO2 58,100 ppm; CO 9500 ppm; phosgene 40 ppm; and VCM trace. From a hazard standpoint, the gross quantity of hydrogen chloride is the main source of danger in a VCM fire.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0002889718506429?journalCode=aiha20
NJ site in 2012
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Lets look at some other accidents
2004
On April 23, 2004, five workers were fatally injured and two others were seriously injured when an explosion occurred in a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production unit at Formosa Plastics in Illiopolis, Illinois, east of Springfield. The explosion followed a release of highly flammable vinyl chloride, which ignited. The explosion forced a community evacuation and lighted fires that burned for several days at the plant.
https://www.csb.gov/formosa-plastics-vinyl-chloride-explosion/
2018
investigators have identified a vinyl chloride leak at a ChemChina facility as the cause of a huge blast that killed 23 in the northern China city of Zhangjiakou. Most victims of the explosion were sitting in trucks that were waiting outside the factory, run by Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry, a subsidiary of state-owned ChemChina.
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https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/ChemChina-plant-leak-identified-cause/96/web/2018/12#
The Paulsburg accident was very lucky they didn’t suffer a similar fate as China. Maybe because most of the cloud stayed over water. East Palestine was over land so such a Vinyl Chloride cloud could have been far more serious than in Paulsburg
Its actually surprising we don’t see more of these accidents. US is one of the biggest producers of Vinyl Chloride along with China although much of it is used on site
Hazel Kreuz, vice president of global inorganic chemicals at Chemical Market Analytics, a consulting firm, estimates that up to 10% of the vinyl chloride made in the US is transported rather than derivatized on-site. “A small amount is exported, and some of it does move either by barge or by rail to locations that are not right at the vinyls facility for polymerization,” she says.
There were approximately 20,000 rail shipments of vinyl chloride in North America in 2021, the Chlorine Institute says.
A release from a vinyl chloride tank car creates a dangerous situation. The chemical, which is a gas at ambient temperature, is shipped in pressurized tank cars. “If you have a release, it vaporizes and it’s extremely flammable,” Kreuz says. Putting out a vinyl chloride fire is also difficult. “If you spray it with water directly, you could just move it around, and it can float on the water and spread the fire,” she says.
the accident was the third freight train derailment in Ohio since last October
https://cen.acs.org/safety/Safety-questions-remain-Ohio-train/101/i6