the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Apr 3, 2023
Seven U.S. government investigators fell ill in March while studying the health impacts of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The February 3 crash sent eleven rail cars carrying more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals off the tracks. Chemicals spilled into local streams, resulting in thousands of dead fish.
Symptoms reported by investigators included nausea, headaches, coughing and sore throats. These symptoms matched what town residents and folks in nearby Pennsylvania reported soon after chemicals from the derailment spilled into water and soil, and after multiple days of smoke and soot billowed over the area from chemicals on fire.
The investigators who experienced symptoms were part of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) teams going house-to-house in an area very near the derailment. Those who became ill included physicians. They spoke anonymously as they were not authorized to speak about their experiences.
An expert who previously ran the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said, "It adds confirmation that the symptoms reported by East Palestine residents are real and are associated with environmental exposures from the derailment and the chemical fire."
On a recent visit to East Palestine, the current head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michael Regan, spoke of ongoing hazards. He said, "As a father, I would not advise anybody—adult or child—play in the creeks or stream. What we’ve said is the drinking water has been tested."
During a U.S. Senate hearing, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw was asked about conditions for people in East Palestine. He said, "I believe that the air is safe. I believe that [the] water is safe." He then was asked if he would be willing to live in East Palestine. "Yes, sir," he responded on March 9. Since then, no one should be shocked to learn that this lying CEO has NOT moved to East Palestine!