Residents of East Palestine, Ohio were urged by environmental activist Erin Brockovich to record any health problems they may be having as a result of the tragic train disaster that was transporting dangerous chemicals. This month, some residents have reported receiving diagnoses for bronchitis and other diseases that physicians and nurses believe are related to the chemical exposure.
At a town hall meeting on Friday, February 24, Brockovich told a roomful of citizens, “You need to be vigilant, you need to journal, you need to capture information.” I’ll be speaking to you tonight because we want you to take away knowledge that will help you understand and be more informed.
Hazardous chemicals spilled onto the ground as a result of the derailment of a train hauling 50 rail cars, 10 of which were carrying vinyl chloride, and it also released a cloud of smoke into the atmosphere. Residents of East Palestine started to exhibit symptoms following the ecological catastrophe, which many believe were caused by the chemical spill.
Only two days after the tragic incident, Melissa Blake, who lives less than a mile from the scene, told NBC News that she began coughing up grey mucus and was having trouble breathing. According to the medical records analysed by the news outlet, Blake visited the emergency room and was given the diagnosis of “acute bronchitis due to chemical fumes.” I received a breathing apparatus. I was given oxygen. I got three from them.
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kinds of steroids,” said Blake. Several locals have shared similar experiences regarding the harmful chemicals’ effects on their health, therefore Blake is not the only one who is directly feeling the health effects of the chemical spill.
Nearby resident Lisa Fulton informed the Cincinnati Enquirer that she has experienced symptoms since the derailment.
During Brockovich’s presentation on Friday, she told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “I saw the fire come right down the rails.” “I’ve been experiencing chest tightness and a sore throat. And because I have asthma, I have been wheezing.
A nurse practitioner named LuAnn Krause is worried about how the toxins would affect kids.
She told the Cincinnati Enquirer that “their bodies are building, their blood cells are forming, and their bone marrow is creating.” “And they have a leukaemia risk.”
Five of ten workers at a nearby manufacturing facility told NBC News they couldn’t make it to work. Following the train derailment, general manager Howard Yang claimed that his employees were “falling like flies.”
“Some developed rashes, nausea, vomiting, bloody noses, and eye problems as a result. many coughing and gasping “said he. “Several of our employees were sent to the hospital for evaluation, and sure enough, the majority of them were given the diagnosis of “chemical bronchitis.” Five different types of medicines, including steroids, were given to them. For some men, inhalers are necessary. It really really horrible.”
One of the nearest urgent care centres to East Palestine is Quickmed Columbiana, where Deborah Weese, a nurse practitioner, said she diagnoses 5 to 10 people per day with symptoms suggestive of chemical exposure. They are expressing complaints about burning in their lungs, nasal drainage, burning in their eyes and throats, and unidentified rashes that have appeared after they returned to their houses.
Erin Brockovich
Brockovich expressed sympathy for the 2,700 residents present in the town hall on Friday at the East Palestine High School gymnasium. “You want to be heard, but you’re going to be told it’s safe; you’re going to be told not to worry,” the activist cautioned the locals. “That’s just ridiculous because you’ll worry. Communities desire to be heard and seen. It takes time for these substances to enter. the ocean. You’ll need to monitor the groundwater.
Those who use well water: You need to be extremely cautious. They will have to put soil vapour intrusion modelling into practise. Trust us. It is approaching, she remarked.
She said, “I’m telling you right now: Things change. You start getting 50 and 100,000 p———off mums together.
“You can become your own critical thinker, and you will,” the speaker said. Brockovich kept going. “You will verify information; you will query and demand responses. You will pay attention to your gut instinct and community connections, she advised. “Don’t allow this place’s events split you apart.” Paul Goist, a Stanley Steemer employee, told Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV that the company has noticed an increase in requests for air duct cleaning.
Goist told WPXI, “We are seeing a lot of debris.” “Vital Oxide is a medical-grade disinfectant that we force through the system. We move from vent to vent while using the fogging equipment, and anything inside the system is annihilated.”