After a train carrying dangerous chemicals derailed and burst into flames near East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, TikTokers living near the accident believed it to be the physical symptoms of newly created contamination. I share what I have.
In a TikTok posted Thursday, Delia (@yung.deli) said she lives 50 miles from where the train derailed in Eastern Palestine and has a headache.
“When you get a headache and you’re not sure if it’s a seasonal allergy or a toxin from a train wreck 50 miles from home,” Delia wrote in the video’s overlay text.
@yung.deli you never know! #Eastern Palestine Ohio #East Palestine railroad accident #traincrashinohio ♬ CHAOS – Hollywood Undead
Many of the people who commented on Delia’s video identified themselves as Ohio residents and said they experienced the same thing.
“My throat hurts so bad,” commented @coldspritecranberry. “My head is full of pressure.”
“I am suffering from headaches that last for 3 days,” wrote @ieattrash29. “And the nausea that comes in waves.”
“I’m about five miles [away from the train derailment] And we are struggling here,” @itspronounceduhleesuh commented.
Another TikTok by @tiaamariaa57 posted on Wednesday reports similar side effects. In her video, @tiaamariaa57 says the air where she and her family live, about 40 minutes from East Palestine, “smells like sulfur and alcohol.”
She also shared that family members living even closer to the derailment site were experiencing migraines and vomiting.
@tiaamariaa57 #fyp #for you #train derailment #for you #Eastern Palestine #Eastern Palestine Ohio #government #government ♬ Creepy, Quiet and Scary Piano Songs – Skittle Girl Sounds
The situation discussed in the video by Delia and @tiaamariaa57 is consistent with what some East Palestinians have said. CNN They feel it too.
This is because, according to University of Kentucky professor and environmental epidemiologist Erin Haynes, communities in and around East Palestine are exposed to “vinyl chloride and its by-products, or chemicals such as those released when vinyl chloride is burned.” due to exposure to “very high levels” of chemicals.
Haynes told The Daily Dot that, 18 days after the train derailed, the air was likely uncontaminated, but the water and soil in the area were.
“A lot of the chemicals would have fallen into the environment, like soil and waterways,” Haynes said in a phone interview with The Daily Dot. “So health affects it [Ohioans are] It is very likely due to these initial exposures you are experiencing. “
East Palestinian farmers already Alarm occurrence About soil and well water.
Haynes emphasized the importance of long-term monitoring of soil and water in and around Eastern Palestine.
“Counties around Colombiana [county in Ohio] It should be monitored,” Haynes said. “Chemicals are mobile, so it’s important to know the full extent of your exposure.”
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*First published: February 21, 2023 at 2:33 PM CST
Tricia Crimmins
Tricia Crimmins is an IRL Staff Writer for the Daily Dot. She is also a New York-based comedian and adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has previously contributed to Mashable, Complex Networks, and Moment magazine. You can find her on her Twitter @TriciaCrimmins.
