Yes, there is a kill zone and just as obviously an impact zone. And i have ample reason to question what happened here as well.
However, if you cannot smell it, you are likely safe ewnough. The fact is that industrial workers have been exposecd for decades and you smell it every time you shake out a vinyl shower curtain. So yes chronic exposure can induce cancer, we are a long ways here from that outside what i am calling the impact zone.
And yes, the birds and animals took off and the poisoned creek had fish kill. Pretty normal so far. None of this is nerve gas or military grade poison gases.
This stuff is normally moved safely and you do not blow the tank cars up when tank trucks can offload the works after the initial fire is quenched. What happened here?
EXCLUSIVE: Toxic cloud left Ohio family coughing up blood and forced them to flee their newly purchased home as creek water turned blue and wildlife disappeared after chemical train disasterNathan and Kelly Izotic were forced to flee despite living outside the designated 'danger of death' zone created by the February 3 Norfolk Southern derailment
The couple revealed wildlife has fled and they now fear their newly bought 15-acre property, two miles from chemical train disaster, may never be repaired
They were forced to leave their East Palestine home the weekend after the environmental catastrophe when they came down with aggressive symptoms
PUBLISHED: 13:59 EST, 17 February 2023 | UPDATED: 17:32 EST, 17 February 2023
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11760073/Ohio-couple-left-coughing-blood-wildlife-fled-thanks-chemical-train-disaster.html
The first obvious sign was the dead fish bobbing in their creek and a toxic blue film on the water.
But now there's something else missing from one Ohio couple's woodland 'paradise' home two miles from the East Palestine chemical train disaster: Birdsong and the constant chitter chatter of squirrels.
The massive acrid black cloud that spewed from the fiery wreck engulfed Nathan and Kelly Izotic's property within 24 hours of the February 3 disaster, carried by a westerly wind.
Kelly Izotic, 45, husband Nathan, 29, and her son DJ, 19, and were forced to flee despite living outside the designated 'danger of death' zone created by the February 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio
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The couple told DailyMail.com the wildlife inhabiting their 'woodland paradise' have fled since the disaster and the winding creek near their house is now contaminated with toxic blue film
Alleged toxic chemicals and oil buildup is still seen in the creek behind their family home, in East Palestine
East Palestine family test water after chemical train disaster
Compounding the couple's personal tragedy, water that feeds the winding creek near their house is fed from a supply directly contaminated by the catastrophe.
The environmental and potentially lethal fallout from the Norfolk Southern rail company's 'chemical bomb' derailment attacked them on two levels.
Since then, they have been struck with agonizing sickness and coughing up blood, and now fear a cancer diagnosis in years to come due to two known carcinogenic chemicals from the fiery cloud of the crash.
The couple is facing an environmental catastrophe on their newly bought 15-acre property. Wildlife has fled and they now believe they might never bounce back .
As DailyMail.com walked with them through their woodland as they tested toxicity levels in the brook, chemical lab technician Kelly revealed: 'We had red and gray squirrels through this property, constantly chitter chattering to each other. It was pretty loud.
'And now there are none. They've gone completely because of the toxicity all around them right here.
'There's no small birds either. They were everywhere, but they've taken off. That must tell you something.'
The couple, who live outside the mandatory evacuation zone that was designated 'danger of death', were forced to leave their home nonetheless the weekend after the Friday derailment when they started feeling violently sick.
'Within 24 hours we had burning noses, burning lips, chest congestion, sore throats and headaches, big, big headaches,' said Kelly, 45.
'My German Shepherd dog Diesel kept throwing up and was lethargic.'
Kelly, who has been monitoring the creek's pH levels, said it recently reached an alarming 9.9 pH and revealed she felt a burning sensation after coming in contact with the water
Fish and other aquatic wildlife that inhabited the creek have been wiped out due to the environmental disaster
Workers are seen pumping water into a creek for aeration at the East Palestine Park on Wednesday
White House sending CDC and HHS to East Palestine train derailment
Energy industry worker Nathan, 29, said: 'The thick cloud was billowing right over our house for the two days we stayed.
'The day after the derailment I started having symptoms, almost like Covid symptoms, like someone was pushing down on my chest. I had very strong pressure.
'Throughout the day it started getting severe. I had a very bad cough, very bad feeling in my lungs and throat. And the following day it got worse.
'I had burning on my lips, nose, and eyes and a severe cough.'
The couple quickly packed and fled to another property near the Pennsylvania-New York state line.
Nathan continued: 'I woke up about 6am after the night we evacuated and I was on the verge of calling the ER. I was coughing up blood.
'All I could think of was to strip down and cool myself off and go outside to get some relief. I was hot all over. I was very tired.
'It was until Thursday or Friday that week until I started to feel some relief. Coming back here now though my lips are starting to get tingly again and I feel a scratch in my throat and I'm getting headaches.'
East Palestine's mayor and residents have been grappling with the aftermath of a toxic train derailment two weeks ago
Kelly added: 'We were at the doctor yesterday and they said they don't even have a toxicology test to be able to test us because they still don't know what they are dealing with.
'So they can't even test us – all they can do is treat symptoms. It's terrifying.'
The couple returned home with Kelly's son DJ, 19, on Saturday, February 11 – three days after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared residents in the evacuation zone could return.
That was following a burn-off of 'unstable' chemical cargo from five of the 11 derailed cars because experts feared an explosion, which sent another plume of toxic soup into the air and over their property.
As they surveyed their home, the couple immediately saw small dead fish bobbing in the narrow, twisting brook.
The water was bubbling violently from the bed, which Kelly said is a result of the toxicity. A blue film covered large areas of the surface and is still clearly visible.
And the water remains a danger, said Kelly.
Head of EPA says he would let children drink and bathe in Ohio water
The toxic train derailed in a fiery crash on February 3, leading authorities to evacuate the surrounding East Palestine, Ohio, area
'This past Sunday I was taking samples and one foot slipped into the water,' she added. 'I thought nothing of it.
'But that night I'm in bed and all of a sudden my foot starts burning. Then it dawned on me. Yeah, my foot slipped in the creek.
'If you went into that brook right now I would say you'll feel burning within an hour.'
Kelly added: 'We really don't know what's in the water – or in our personal household water. The other day my pH meter was 9.9, which is high. It's a little lower today.
'You have all these chemicals that reacted when they hit each other, then they reacted when they heated up and then they reacted again from the rain.
'So when it heats up it turns to chloride, when it rains it turns to an acid. There could be tens of thousands of compounds that this has turned into and you just don't know what you are dealing with.
'I would say it's going to be six months to a year before we see what happens next. And we're dealing with carcinogens from that train wreck, so you have the potential for cancers.
'And I think it's going to take a decade before everything washes through this place. In fact, it might never recover.'
As we continued to walk around the brook, Nathan said: 'We bought this place last May as a forever home. I wanted us to have some land.
'Now it is scary. Nothing is safe here, not my air, not my water. We are here alive and living but my fear is for our health. What happens when five or ten years down the road one of us gets cancer?
Aerial look at devastation after train crash in East Palestine
Nathan Izotic checks the PH levels in the creek. The family all claims to have suffered illness since the train wreck and their dog, who drinks from the creek on their property, began vomiting profusely the day after the crash
Ohio's governor gave the all-clear for residents in the evacuation zone to return, but locals have questioned whether it is actually safe
Former foundry worker William Hugar, 56, who lives just 300 yards from the disaster, had evacuated but moved back on the Wednesday night of the all-clear
'This is less important that health, but no one is going to want to move here. Our property value is going to tank.'
Norfolk Southern's rail services restarted almost immediately after Ohio's governor gave the all-clear for residents to return.
In a jibe at the company, Nathan said: 'Certain things are going to recover. Norfolk South pushed to get the rail cars moving again, that's for certain. But as far as environmentally, no. It's going to be impossible to truly recover.'
The couple both attacked the railroad for the apparent early confusion about exactly what chemicals were contained in the 141-car train, apart from vinyl chloride which is associated with an increased risk of liver cancer.
Twenty cars contained hazardous materials and only in the past few days has a fuller list been revealed of all six toxic chemicals.
The cargo also included ethylhexyl acrylate, a known carcinogen that can cause burning an irritation of the eyes, and isobutylene which can cause dizziness and drowsiness.
Nathan, who has experience in the chemical industry, said: 'Every single rail car has safety data sheets, there is a paper trail a mile and a half long.
'I believe they knew what was on the train time of the derailment. But we were being told nothing.'
At the scene of the crash now, DailyMail.com witnessed the burned out cars strewn on either side of the track with convoys of trucks taking away material.
Former foundry worker William Hugar, 56, lives just 300 yards from the disaster. His home is the nearest house but one from the toxic inferno, and backs on to the rail line.
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway hosted a meeting earlier this week in the town. Residents asked 'where's Pete Buttigieg?' as they demanded answers
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on Twitter on Thursday that he'd asked for help, but was told 'Ohio is not eligible for assistance at this time'
Describing the night of the crash, he said: 'I heard the train stopping. It was really loud and I went outside. Facing me was black smoke and orange flames that were starting to billow into a tower.
'Then the fire came and spread down the railroad tracks as cars ignited. It was like a 50ft high wall of flame coming my way. Scary? You bet it was.
'But thankfully the wind was blowing from the west towards the center of the wreck, so my house was safe. The plume of smoke was hundreds of feet high.'
Hugar evacuated but moved back on the Wednesday night of the all-clear. The tracks had been cleared of wreckage.
'Those trains began moving straight away,' he said. 'I'd say by 8pm and they've been running trains hard through here ever since.
'It's not the normal schedule – I'm very familiar with train movements. It's way above normal. They've got to get them through, so they can make money.'
Hugar also said no one from any agency had visited to check on his welfare.
Norfolk Southern on Thursday was blasted by Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, who claimed the company has been paying out more to executives and shareholders than investing in the rail infrastructure.
The crash was possibly caused by a faulty axle on one of the train's cars.
Introducing an idea that rail cars should be labeled with the chemicals they are carrying to help firefighters in emergencies, he then said: 'It is not clear to me that engines always follow the speed limits in different parts of the country.
Ohio resident shows dead fish in East Palestine rivers
Vinyl chloride is known to migrate through soil and has been linked with various forms of liver cancer, lymphoma, leukemia as well as brain and lung cancer
East Palestine residents refer to the freight trains as 'bomb trains,' high speed rail cars that dart through their town packed with flammable materials
Ohio residents capture footage of dead fish after train wreck
'They probably drive faster in rural areas than in urban areas. Those tracks are not necessarily built for that speed.
'I understand that Norfolk Southern, they did major stock buybacks, major dividends.. and in fact the total stock buybacks and dividends were greater than the investment they made in rails. They need to pay more attention to upkeep of rails.'
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan also toured East Palestine and vowed to 'hold Norfolk Southern accountable. I can promise you that.'
Speaking at the same press briefing, he said: 'This incident has understandably shaken the community to its core, forcing families to temporarily leave their homes, worry about their health and safety of their children and even question the information that they are receiving from all of us.
'The community has questions and they deserve answers.
'I want the community to know that we hear you, we see you and that we will get to the bottom of this.’
'As President Biden told Governor DeWine, anything the state needs we will be here to help.'
He added: 'Since the fire went out, EPA air monitoring has not detected any level of health concerns in the community that are attributed to the train derailment.'
Regan revealed 480 homes have been screened so far 'and no detection of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride were identified.'
But he repeated local health warnings that people with private wells that haven not been test should drink bottled water until tests reveal their supply is safe.
Norfolk Southern ran scared of attending a volatile town hall meeting in East Palestine Wednesday night, where hundreds of folks turned up seeking answers health and safety concerns.
Furious mayor Trent Conaway told reporters: 'The people want answers. I want answers.
Local business owner Aaron Allison, 38, questioned the EPA's verdict on the disaster
'Norfolk Southern didn't show up.'
Asked why, he said: 'Because they are scared for their safety.'
The company said in a statement: 'Unfortunately, after consulting with community leaders, we have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties.'
Environmental Protection Agency officials repeated their message at the meeting that air and water in the area is now safe.
However, anxious townsfolk later continued to reveal their concerns and bouts of sickness.
Candace DeSanzo, who evacuated with her five sons, said after the meeting: 'We all have had red rashes, loose stool, congestion and eye burning. Everything smells. I've been having terrible headaches.'
Even residents who have not shown signs of sickness are wary of the possible long-term dangers.
Aaron Allison, 38 – a competitive race car driver who owns a racing supply business in East Palestine – told DailyMail.com: 'The government says it's fine, the EPA says it's fine, but is it fine?'
Allison, who lives with wife Mistie and two children aged one and seven just outside the mandatory evacuation zone, continued: 'Most things in life you can self-verify. If a thing's on fire you can see it's on fire.
'But this, these toxic levels? Something that is toxic and deadly in three parts per million, you obviously can't see that. I can't order a kit on Amazon to measure that.'
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