Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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Just under half of the people sent by the Centers for Disease Control to assess health hazards in Ohio following February’s mass derailment have reported falling ill.
As first reported by CNN, 7 of 15 workers reported sore throats, mild headaches, coughing, or nausea during their visit to the site of the Feb. 3 derailment.
“Symptoms resolved for most team members later the same afternoon, and everyone resumed work on survey data collection within 24 hours. Impacted team members have not reported ongoing health effects,” a CDC spokesperson said in the statement given to CNN.
The symptoms reported by the CDC workers are similar to those reported by locals, but officials have not determined what specifically caused any of those symptoms to occur.
It is clear, however, that the investigators began experiencing the symptoms while they were on site.
This news dovetailed with an announcement on Friday that the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency had filed suit against Norfolk Southern, the company that owns the train, alleging a violation of the Clean Water Act and seeking relief for damages.
“When a Norfolk Southern train derailed last month in East Palestine, Ohio, it released toxins into the air, soil, and water, endangering the health and safety of people in surrounding communities,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “With this complaint, the Justice Department and the EPA are acting to pursue justice for the residents of East Palestine and ensure that Norfolk Southern carries the financial burden for the harm it has caused and continues to inflict on the community.”
Norfolk Southern said in its own statement that its focus is “cleaning up the site, assisting residents whose lives were impacted by the derailment, and investing in the future of East Palestine and the surrounding areas … we’ll keep working until we make it right.”
But, the federal agencies argue Norfolk Southern failed to properly protect residents initially.
“From the very beginning, I pledged to the people of East Palestine that EPA would hold Norfolk Southern fully accountable for jeopardizing the community’s health and safety,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a press release.
No community should have to go through what East Palestine residents have faced. With today’s action, we are once more delivering on our commitment to ensure Norfolk Southern cleans up the mess they made and pays for the damage they have inflicted as we work to ensure this community can feel safe at home again.
Norfolk Southern is already being sued by the State of Ohio.