Toxic chemicals released

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Authorities planned to release toxic chemicals into the air from five derailed tankers that were at risk of explosion on Monday, bringing the state of Ohio and Pennsylvania to the Residents near the perimeter are being told to leave immediately or face possible death.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered evacuations in the area of ​​the derailment, which has been smoldering since Friday night. Authorities believe most, if not all, of the residents of the danger zone have left, but they knocked on the door once more before releasing the PVC inside the vehicle, he said.

“You have to leave, you just have to leave. This is a matter of life and death,” DeWine said at a press conference ahead of the scheduled controlled release at 3:30 p.m. EST. rice field.

Norfolk Southern Railway’s Scott Deutsch said doing this during the day would help the smoke disperse more quickly and prevent railcars from exploding and shrapnel and other debris into the neighborhood. I’m here.

“We have no control over where it goes,” Deutsch said, estimating that the release will take one to three hours.

The process uses a small amount of explosive to puncture the car, entrench the material, and burn it before it is released into the atmosphere, he said.

This location is very close to the state line, and the evacuation zone spans a sparsely populated area of ​​Pennsylvania. About half of her 4,800 residents in eastern Palestine had been warned to vacate over the weekend before authorities decided to use controlled releases on Monday.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the evacuation zone contained about 20 Pennsylvanian residents, but as of Sunday night, half remained at home. and assisted residents and ensured that they left.

“This is very serious,” he said. “If I were there right now and the First Lady and our children were there right now, please know that we would evacuate. Leave this area. It could be too dangerous.”

Mandatory evacuations began Sunday night in eastern Palestinian villages after authorities warned rail cars could explode after observing “dramatic temperature changes” in them.

Residents were packing their lodging bags, loading their pets into their cars, and searching for hotel rooms Monday morning. The village police have moved out of the communications center as the threat of explosions grows.

Police cars, snowplows, and Ohio National Guard military vehicles blocked roads leading into the area.

Rail operator Norfolk Southern and the National Transportation Safety Board said about 50 vehicles, including 10 carrying dangerous goods, derailed in violent crashes on Friday night. No injuries have been reported to crew, occupants, or first responders.

According to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute, the vinyl chloride used to make plastic products’ polyvinyl chloride hard plastic resin was transported and has been linked to an increased risk of liver and other cancers. was five people.

Federal investigators say the cause of the derailment was a mechanical problem with the rail car’s axle.

NTSB officer Michael Graham said on Sunday that three train crew had received warnings of a mechanical defect “shortly before the derailment”. Investigators have identified the exact “derailment point,” but the commission continues to work to identify which vehicles experienced axle problems, he said.

Mayor Trent Conaway, who declared a state of emergency in the village, said one person had been arrested for bypassing the barricade just before the crash. He warned people to stay away, saying they risked being arrested.

I don’t understand why anyone would want to go there. If you’re that close, you’re breathing toxic fumes,” he said.