Mike DeWine, the Ohio Governor, published the findings of a health assessment performed in East Palestine, Ohio, the day after residents stopped a railway company official at a town hall.
The surveys found that the most frequent symptoms described by residents since the toxic train accident were migraines, anxiety, and wheezing.
The governor’s office indicated residents reported other symptoms since the accident about a month ago, including exhaustion, discomfort, soreness, and a searing feeling on the skin.
During the last two weeks, 168 individuals have either attended the state’s health assessment center or been contacted at home by federal authorities to participate in the “After Chemical Exposure (ACE) Community” survey.
On Friday, the office of DeWine announced that officials would use the information to understand better how the derailment incident may have affected the locals and determine the proper public health response.
The survey concludes 74% of the people reported migraines in the days following the incident. Six out of ten said they had coughed, and slightly more than half said their skin had been irritated, and felt painful or burning. In the survey of 168 people, 64% said they experienced symptoms of anxiety, and 58 percent said they were fatigued all the time.
Removal of train tracks alongside the derailment began.
DeWine’s office has released the survey results and updated residents on the status of cleanup efforts.
The state Environmental Protection Agency is now in charge of eliminating railway tracks, as stated by DeWine’s office. Norfolk Southern Corporation, the railway company involved in the incident, has filed a plan that estimates they will have finished track removal, excavation, and train rebuilding by April 30.
DeWine stated that water sample results from private water systems in East Palestine residences continue to indicate the absence of harmful contaminant levels. None of the 57 confirmed samples from the 157 remote systems tested contained hazardous levels.
He added that the efforts to remove hazardous debris from the accident continue. Trucks have been transporting the toxic refuse to landfills in Ohio and elsewhere.
According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the East Palestine area had 3,200,000 gallons of liquid waste and 1,700 tons of solid waste hauled away.
Safety Upgrades: Norfolk Southern Corporation guarantees 7 million dollars
Norfolk Southern unveiled primary safety measures and pledged seven million dollars. They are committed to managing the cleanup effort and paying for all associated costs to aid East Palestine’s people and environmental recovery.
Air monitoring in the town and inside hundreds of houses has not found any worrisome contaminants. Federal and state authorities have repeatedly said it is safe for displaced residents to return.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has demanded that the firm responsible for the accident that caused the collapse of 38 train cars in East Palestine to pay for the cleaning.
Aside from the initial incident in East Palestine almost a month ago, another derailment happened involving the same railway company just across the border of Pennsylvania last Saturday.
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro is reported to have met with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw last week and obtained an early promise for financial assistance to be used towards cleaning efforts following the accident, as reported by his office on Monday. The firm will pay $5 million to repay fire agencies for contaminated or damaged equipment and another $1 million to Beaver and Lawrence counties to aid business owners and citizens whose incomes were affected.
State organizations that replied will receive nearly $1.4 million more, some of which will go towards opening a health clinic for locals.