Cuomo’s East Palestine special report: Have the people been forgotten?
- Residents said a 'chemical smell' remains throughout the town
- The community has been demanding more chemical testing from the EPA
- Effects of the chemical exposure may not be fully understood for years
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EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (NewsNation) — NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo’s special report from East Palestine, the Ohio village whose residents are still fearful for their health following the February Norfolk Southern train derailment, put a spotlight on chemical testing and what comes next.
Since the train derailment and subsequent chemical burn that released vinyl chloride into the community, resident Shelby Walker told Cuomo she’s having health issues and is still concerned for her family.
“I wish my house would have caught fire, and I would have lost everything,” Walker told Cuomo.
She described a “sweet chemical smell” that permeates the town.
“Something you’ve never smelt before,” she said.
Besides accountability, residents want round-the-clock testing.
Independent testing has shown the presence of cancer-causing chemical vinyl chloride in the home of resident Krissy Hylton.
“It’s hard each day. We still don’t know where we’re going to live,” Hylton said Tuesday on “CUOMO.”
Her family of six was displaced after the Feb. 3 train derailment. Now, the family may have no other choice but to move back into the home they aren’t sure is safe.
“We can’t afford to take on a mortgage when our home is paid for. They’re now discussing trying to move us back in after cleaning, after all the damage, all the contamination,” she said.
Residents have repeatedly told NewsNation they don’t believe the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is doing enough testing.
