Officials reported that thousands of fish died within days of a chemical spill caused by a train derailment.This is probably due to pollution of local waterways
life
February 24, 2023
Aerial view of a derailed train in East Palestine, Ohio Xinhua News Agency / Alamy Stock Photo
In early February, a train carrying dangerous chemicals partially derailed and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio. Three days later, on Feb. 6, authorities conducted controlled burning of vinyl chloride from five vehicles to prevent a larger explosion. This produced a huge fireball and column of black smoke over the site. In the weeks since, authorities have reported thousands of wildlife deaths, and alarmed residents have shared social media posts of contaminated waterways and dead animals.
how many animals died
Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said on Feb. 14 they believed about 3,500 aquatic animals had died from chemicals linked to the train derailment. On February 23, they provided updated estimates, saying the total number of wildlife deaths now stands at 43,700 within 8 kilometers of local waterways.
Why do animals get sick?
Due to the derailment itself and controlled combustion, the train leached harmful chemicals into the surrounding air, soil and water. These include butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, and vinyl chloride. The latter is of most concern because chronic exposure can cause liver damage in humans.According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), short-term exposure to high concentrations can cause dizziness and headaches in humans. can cause kidney and liver damage in other animals.
The EPA is monitoring the water around the derailment site for these chemicals, and said air quality monitoring detected no pollutants of concern above levels considered safe for humans. However, the threshold at which these chemicals become unsafe for wildlife is poorly understood.
What kind of animals are dying?
An evaluation by the independent environmental consulting group EnviroScience found thousands of animal carcasses in the four waterways they sampled: Dead Sulfur Run, Leslie Run, Bull Creek and North Fork Little Beaver Creek. Most of the animals that died were small minnows, but fatalities included larger fish, amphibians and crustaceans.
All of these animals are believed to have died “immediately after the derailment,” Mary Martz of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said in an interview with CBS News. We have received reports that an opossum corpse has been found and are currently investigating.
Aquatic animals are particularly vulnerable to chemicals in water because they are continuously exposed to pollutants. Officials say the wildlife killed in the days after the derailment did not include endangered or endangered species.
Are pets and livestock in danger?
There are anecdotal stories of farm animals and pets becoming ill after the incident, including a congested fox, a pet cat with congestive heart failure, and a flock of sick chickens on a local farm. Yes, but they are not officially associated with anything dangerous. Medicine leaked from train. Nonetheless, Brian Baldridge of the Ohio Department of Agriculture told residents on Feb. 14, “We didn’t see anything that raises concerns about livestock.”
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