East Palestine, an Ohio town of 4,700 residents, had a vision of the Apocalypse.
A huge column of smoke and fire arose on February 3, after a train carrying chemical substances derailed in his municipality.
"It almost feels like we're back to normal, except we all have this dangerous cloud looming, not knowing what it's going to do with our future, hanging over our heads," Diana Elzer said.
The word "cloud" had a metaphorical character, he clarified. The last few days have been windy and sunny. The uncertainty expressed by this woman, however, is in tune with the concern expressed by the rest of the residents on Wednesday night at the assembly held in the school's sports center.
If the authorities sought to reduce fear, the opposite turned out. The evacuation order was lifted on the 8th and, therefore, it was guaranteed that the return to the homes was safe. But residents expressed skepticism. In their testimonies they insisted that the smell of toxic products persists, that they suffer from breathing problems, headaches, dizziness, skin rashes or itchy eyes.
They also expressed their concern for the fauna. Some 3,500 fish, of 12 species, have died from pollution in the Ohio River, according to Mary Mertz, the state's director of Natural Resources. Some even talk about the extinction of chickens. Mertz indicated this week that there is no evidence that terrestrial species are affected.
The idea of a new Chernobyl flew over the audience, due to the repercussions on health in the long term. “I am alarmed by what can happen in five, ten or 15 years. When I returned home, the water smelled strongly of bleach, ”said Marcy Henry, who with her husband lives outside the decreed evacuation radius. “On the way home driving near the river, the smell would take your breath away and burn your nose and throat,” she remarked.
Another participant maintained that he did not want to be diagnosed with "cancer or something similar within a while due to their mistake", alluding to the authorities facing this crisis.
Ohio's director of sanitation said Tuesday that residents had to drink bottled water. The next day, the Environmental Protection Agency agreed that the consumption of water from the public supply was safe based on the analysis, but that private wells had to be studied.
"We don't know what to think," replied Michele Parker.
Made up of 150 units, of which 20 contained chemical substances, the train derailed, possibly due to the heating of a wheel bearing, out of a total of 38 wagons. Eleven of them were transporting toxic materials.
The material considered most dangerous was vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. Three days later he broke free and burned the rest of these products to prevent an explosion from turning out much worse.
“Why do we get sick if there is nothing bad in the air and water?” raised a woman from the stands that caused a great ovation.
Norfolk Southern Corporation, the company that runs the train, did not speak at the meeting. He refused to participate for fear of physical violence, which fueled indignation and anger. “They have something to hide. You don't dodge questions if you know how to answer them”, said Jaime Cozza. His comment added more fuel to the conspiracy theories.
