Fish, chickens, and foxes: Ohioans say animals getting sick after train crash
Breanne Deppisch
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Residents in East Palestine, Ohio, are saying that animals are getting sick and dying in the wake of a catastrophic train derailment and subsequent release of toxic substances earlier this month.
In the weeks after the derailment, some residents say their livestock and animals have fallen ill at an alarming rate, with foxes, chickens, and fish among the animals showing symptoms consistent with chemical exposure.
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Amanda Breshears, who lives roughly 11 miles outside East Palestine, told a local news outlet she woke up to find her five hens and rooster dead the day after officials ordered the chemical release.
“My video camera footage shows my chickens were perfectly fine before they started this burn, and as soon as they started the burn, my chickens slowed down and they died,” Breshears told ABC27 WHTM. “If [the chemical release] can do this to chickens in one night, imagine what it’s going to do to us in 20 years.”
Meanwhile, East Palestine resident Taylor Holzer said all four of his rescue foxes have gotten sick by apparent exposure to the chemicals. One died in his arms, he told Newsweek.
“He went downhill very fast,” Holzer said of his fox, which suffered from diarrhea and breathing issues before it died. “He crashed so fast and unexpectedly. He wasn’t able to blink or function properly as he died in my arms.”
Officials ordered evacuations after a 150-car train derailed on Feb. 3, spewing toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, phosgene, hydrogen chloride, and isobutylene, into the air and water near the state’s eastern border.
No one was injured in the massive derailment, which investigators said was caused by a broken axle. But it has prompted concerns over air and water safety in the region.
State officials lifted the evacuation order last Wednesday, and the EPA, which is monitoring air and water quality, said last week it is safe for residents to return.
But residents have reported mounting health and environmental concerns in the area, including an uptick in the number of dead fish and other health concerns with their livestock.
Some also reported experiencing a burning sensation in their eyes or complained of experiencing a lingering odor in the days since they returned. At least four class action lawsuits have been filed in the wake of the derailment.
On Friday, the EPA said in a letter to rail operator Norfolk Southern that chemicals on the derailed train “continue to be released into the air, surface soils, and surface waters.”
EPA officials said Sunday that they have not detected the toxic chemicals at any “levels of concern,” despite concerns being raised by residents.
Vinyl chloride is a carcinogen that becomes a gas at room temperature, and the EPA has linked acute exposure to the chemical to liver damage, including a rare form of liver cancer.
Short-term exposure to high concentrations can cause drowsiness, loss of coordination, disorientation, nausea, and headaches, according to the CDC.
When burned, it decomposes into hydrogen chloride and phosgene, according to the World Health Organization’s International Program on Chemical Safety, or ICPCS.
Andrew Whelton, a professor of environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University, said the spill has created multiple public health concerns due to both the liquids and solids that were spilled after the crash — which themselves pose a risk to soil, surface water, and groundwater — as well as the risks posed by the combustion process, “which create a whole bunch of different byproducts.”
The Norfolk Southern document on EPA’s website indicates “that a bunch of different materials that haven’t been publicly discussed were either burned or spilled,” Whelton said. “This includes polyvinyl chloride resin, like solid resin pellets, polyethylene resin pellets, [and] oil.”
He said that “local, state, and federal agencies need to take point on disasters like this. And they also need to communicate what they know, when they know it, to the public. That is not happening.”
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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Twitter Monday night that he remains “concerned” about the effects of the train derailment and the effects on residents in East Palestine. “It’s important that families have access to useful & accurate information,” Buttigieg said, noting that the DOT is conducting its own investigation into the crash.
“In the meantime, our Federal partners at EPA are on-site and monitoring indoor and outdoor air quality to test for VOCs and other chemicals of concern,” he added.