- Norfolk Southern workers reported experiencing migraines and nausea after being sent to work in East Palestine, Ohio, to cleanup after a toxic train derailment that occurred last month, according to a letter sent to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg by American Rail System Federation General Chairman Jonathan Long.
- Long also alleged that the workers were not equipped with the proper personal protection equipment, but Norfolk Southern disputed this claim in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
- “Many other Employees reported that they continue to experience migraines and nausea, days after the derailment, and they all suspect that they were willing exposed to these chemicals at the direction of NS,” Long wrote in the letter.
Railroad workers experienced migraines and nausea after being sent to work in East Palestine, Ohio, after a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in early February, according to a letter addressed to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
A Norfolk Southern train derailed on Feb. 3 in the eastern Ohio town after its wheel bearings overheated, and officials approved a controlled burn which spilled toxic chemicals including vinyl chloride into the air and water. Residents have since reported various health concerns including headaches and rashes, but now railroad workers are reporting falling sick while working at the site, the letter, sent by American Rail System Federation General Chairman Jonathan Long, explained.
Long alleged that 40 Norfolk Southern maintenance employees were sent to the derailment site to begin cleanup efforts without proper personal protection equipment (PPE) including respirators, eye protection or protective clothing. Norfolk Southern disputed this claim and said that it worked with “hazardous material professionals who were on site continuously to ensure the work area was safe to enter and the required PPE was utilized, all in addition to air monitoring that was established within an hour,” according to a statement sent to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Still, workers reportedly experienced migraines and nausea after being exposed to the environment.
“One Worker shared with me that he called his supervisor and requested to be transported off the derailment site due to concerns of his safety caused by the exposure to the chemicals which were causing him nausea and migraines; the supervisor stated he would get back to the Employee, but he never heard back from his supervisor and the Employee was left on the job site,” Long wrote. “Many other Employees reported that they continue to experience migraines and nausea, days after the derailment, and they all suspect that they were willingly exposed to these chemicals at the direction of NS.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has, to date, screened more than 570 homes and monitored 16 stations in the village and report no abnormal air quality, according to its website. Independent parties, however, warn that the air quality may be worse than what government officials say.
“Compared to EPA National Air Toxics data (NATA 2014), some concentrations in East Palestine (OH) for 9 out of ~50 chemicals EPA reported are higher than ‘normal.’ If these levels continue, they may be of health concern (especially acrolein),” Texas A&M Superfund Research Center tweeted Feb. 24.
Stephen Lester, science director at the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, said during a Feb. 23 town hall meeting that the EPA is not testing for dioxins, which are chemical compounds that result from combustion or burning fuels and could result in health complications including cancer or reproductive and development problems, according to the EPA.
The EPA has since confirmed that it is not currently testing for dioxins because they were in the environment before the crash and the agency does not “have baseline information in this area to do a proper test.”
“But, we are talking to our toxicologist and looking into it,” EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore previously said.
The Department of Transportation and the American Rail System Federation did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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