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Gene J. Pusker/AP
A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio on Monday, February 6, 2023.
CNN
—
President Joe Biden will visit East Palestine, Ohio, next month, nearly a year after the train derailment that caused an environmental disaster, White House officials said.
Biden has been under pressure to visit the region since the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment. The White House had announced that Biden would visit the region, but that did not happen last year. In contrast, days after the incident, former President Donald Trump visited the increasingly red East Palestine in Ohio and criticized Biden’s absence.
“In February, President Biden visited East Palestine, Ohio, and met with residents affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment, stating that his administration is providing state and local guidance to protect the community and hold the Norfolk Southern train. “We plan to evaluate the progress we have made in collaboration with our stakeholders,” officials said in a statement Wednesday.
The incident caused a large fire and caused authorities to evacuate hundreds of people living near the scene due to the risk of igniting highly flammable materials. To prevent a deadly explosion, toxic vinyl chloride gas was vented and burned, releasing black smoke over the town for days.
Other chemicals of concern in the field include phosgene and hydrogen chloride, which are released when vinyl chloride decomposes. Butyl acrylate; ethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate; 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. All of these chemicals can change as they break down or react with other things in the environment, creating a stew of potential toxins.
Residents were given full permission to return to their homes on February 8 after air monitoring in East Palestine detected no rise in chemicals of concern. Some residents of East Palestine said they developed rashes, sore throats, nausea and headaches after returning to their homes, and feared their symptoms were related to chemicals released after the derailment.
Residents and local officials have expressed dissatisfaction with the response after the incident.
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