(NewsNation) — Health concerns are mounting for residents of East Palestine, Ohio, as the rural town grapples with the aftermath of a train derailment.
Ten of the 50 cars that derailed Feb 3. were carrying hazardous materials. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified at least four chemicals that were on board: vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene.
Despite the EPA saying there is no indication of risk to East Palestine public water, members of the community are skeptical about the quality of their water, air and land.
“How could it be (safe)? How could they even know in two days? These people had to go back into their homes and wipe off this translucent, rainbow sheen off of everything and wash their clothes in what may be poisoned water. I have no idea how they could know that the water is safe,” volunteer Rob McFadden said in an interview with NewsNation’s Natasha Zouves.
Rick and Tammy Tsai have lived in East Palestine for more than two decades. It’s where they call home and where they built their business. They also don’t trust the EPA’s ruling.
“It’s funny that we’re told to believe what we say and not what you see. I invite anybody to come over to my house. We’ll take a walk over to the creek and you’ll see deadly chemicals poisoning the entire area,” Rick told Zouves.
He said the people in town have municipal water, but people on the outskirts mostly have wells for water.
“The water is near our wells. I fully expect our wells to be infected unfortunately. It’s going down into other states as well, so it’s not just an Ohio problem,” Rick said.
Tammy added that it’s a scary time of uncertainty for many residents.
“People are very confused, and they don’t know who to turn to. It’s a terrifying time,” Tammy said.
Norfolk Southern is reportedly offering $1,000 to some residents of East Palestine.
“That’s not enough. There are actually a lot of people who are scared to take it because they think they will not be liable if they take the convenience money. It is not enough,” Rick said.
Two weeks after the derailment, the CEO of Norfolk Southern, Alan Shaw, appeared on camera to issue an apology.
Shaw said he was “terribly sorry that this happened to the community.”
Adding: “Norfolk Acceler is fully committed to doing what’s right for this community.”
After observing the wreckage in East Palestine, McFadden has a response for the rail company: “Do the right thing. $5 million would get these people relocated and out of harms way right now until you can clean up this mess and really assess the risks. Because I don’t think anybody knows what the true risks are right now. These people and these children are being forced to deal with it at no fault of their own.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is expected to deploy federal resources to the derailment site, according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. The agency previously said the state was ineligible for federal assistance.
