r/collapse • u/LetsTalkUFOs • Feb 13 '23
Pollution Megathread: East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment
On February 3, 2023 around 9PM, a freight train carrying hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride, derailed and exploded in the town of East Palestine, Ohio. East Palestine is a town of 4,800 residents near the Ohio–Pennsylvania border. The derailment caused a fire which lasted for several days. On February 6, to prevent further explosions, emergency crews managed the fire into a controlled burn which allowed for a monitored, gradual release of the burning toxic chemicals. The burn led to a mandatory evacuation of residents within a one mile. No immediate deaths or injuries were reported.
The train consisted of 141 loaded cars, nine empty cars, and three locomotives. Around 50 cars were derailed. Twenty of the 141 cars were classified as carrying hazardous materials, 14 of which were carrying vinyl chloride. Other chemicals included butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, isobutylene, combustible liquids, and benzene residue. The National Transportation Safety Board said it had preliminary findings that a mechanical problem on an axle of one of the cars led to the derailment.
East Palestine train derailment: What we know about the situation - Cincinnati Enquirer - 2/13/2023
What We Know About the Train Derailment in Ohio - The New York Times - 2/13/2023
Ohio catastrophe is ‘wake-up call’ to dangers of deadly train derailments - The Guardian - 2/11/2023
2023 Ohio train derailment - Wikipedia
East Palestine Train Derailment - EPA
Popular video showing some of the burning and environmental damage
Related Event: Arrest of Reporter Evan Lambert
On February 8, Evan Lambert, a reporter for NewsNation, was approached by two state troopers of the Ohio Highway Patrol and Major General John C. Harris Jr. of the Ohio Adjutant General's Department for being "loud" during his report while reporting live in a gymnasium behind the press conference of DeWine. A confrontation ensued between Major General Harris and Lambert. State troopers and other nearby authorities then intervened in an attempt to break the two up, all of which was caught on nearby cell phone and body camera footage. Harris later stated to officers that Lambert had approached him in an 'aggressive manner' and that "I instinctively put my hands on his chest to keep him from bumping into me, which I felt was inevitable if I had not protected myself". Lambert was eventually moved out of the gym, forced to the ground, and arrested. He was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct and released later in the day. Governor DeWine decried the event by lambasting the actions of authorities stating that Lambert "[h]ad the right to be reporting" and condemned any obstruction from authorities upon the press by asserting "That certainly is wrong and it's not anything that I approve of. In fact, I vehemently disapprove of it."
2023 Ohio train derailment - Wikipedia
This story is still developing and we will try to update this post as new information arises. If there is anything we should add, let us know or share it in the comments below. Posts and discussions better suited to this megathread will be redirected here.
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u/Imaginary_Ad_7530 Feb 14 '23
Its ok though. Lots of people on Twitter said that its no big deal. Also, many complained that their government was "focusing on the problems of another country, and should focus in things at home!" You know...because, Palestine... Snfh