The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has repeatedly claimed that the air in East Palestine Ohio was safe following the train derailment and toxic chemical spill.
However, experts from Texas A&M and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have found that the air in East Palestine contains higher-than-normal concentrations of nine potentially harmful chemicals.
According to scientists, if the chemicals persist at the current levels, they could cause long-term health issues for residents. This finding directly contradicted EPA's persistent claim that the area's air quality is secure and "there is nothing to worry about at all." The EPA had screened the air in 578 homes and declared that the chemical pollution levels are not above residential air quality standards.
The mobile testing van used by the researchers from the said universities has been looking at how air pollution varies in places such as Pittsburgh and Baltimore for over a decade now. The researchers compared their data in East Palestine to levels of the same chemicals recorded this month by the EPA.
Dr. Albert Presto, an associate research professor of mechanical engineering at CMU's Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation and part of the research team, told CNN: "It's not elevated to the point where it's necessarily like an immediate 'evacuate the building' health concern." However, he said, repeated exposure over time could be damaging.
Among the chemicals the teams found, acrolein was calculated to be the biggest concern for residents. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the strong-smelling liquid evaporates easily at normal temperatures, allowing it to produce toxic concentrations. Poisonous no matter what the exposure route is, it causes inflammation and irritation of the skin, respiratory tract and mucus membranes. If inhaled, it can cause delayed pulmonary edema, which means excess fluid in the lungs.
The other eight chemicals found to be at higher than normal average concentrations are benzene, vinyl chloride, butadiene, naphthalene, o-Xylene, trichloroethylene, trichloroethane and butadiene.
Residents complain of health damages after a month-long exposure to toxic air
The researchers found that the toxicity may not be as "urgent," but they are sure that continued exposure guarantees major health hazards. Apparently, the damages are already beginning to manifest as some residents already reported various symptoms a month after the "toxic spill." (Related: More and more East Palestine residents reporting health issues following train derailment and toxic chemical spill.)
Wade Lovett, 40, told the DailyMail that he had developed a high-pitched voice and trouble breathing since the chemical incident. He claimed it "just keeps getting worse and worse."
"My voice sounds like Mickey Mouse. My normal voice is low. It's hard to breathe, especially at night. My chest hurts so much at night I feel like I’m drowning. I cough up phlegm a lot," he said. "The doctor says I most definitely have the chemicals in me."
Moreover, Ayla and Tyler Antoniazzi were considering leaving their home after their two young daughters seemed "they weren't themselves."
"My oldest had a rash on her face. The youngest did too but not as badly. The two-year-old was holding her eye and complaining that her eye was hurting. She was very lethargic," the mother said.
They live less than a mile from the incident and went back to their house the following day after the evacuation notice was lifted, trusting Ohio local government officials and EPA's assurance that the air, water and ground are already clean.
"I did allow my four-year-old to return to preschool, which is in the East Palestine Elementary School. She went back for two days and developed another rash on her hands and started complaining of itching, so I pulled her back out," she added.
Locals are furious over the "lack of real information and help" from Ohio local officials as well as President Joe Biden's administration. Last week, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway slammed Biden for heading to Ukraine for a surprise visit instead of the scene of the toxic train derailment, calling it "the biggest slap in the face."
Visit ChemicalViolence.com for more updates on the Ohio train derailment chemical spill.
Watch the video below that talks about animals dying and cleanup workers falling sick in East Palestine.
This video is from Alex Hammer's channel on Brighteon.com.
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East Palestine toxic chemical spill could affect far-off cities and suburbs.
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