WASHINGTON DC — The U.S. government announced Friday that it will send a team of doctors and toxicologists to conduct public health tests in the area hit by the spills after a train derailment in Ohio two weeks ago.
“The administration stands ready to provide any additional federal assistance that states may need,” a White House official said in a call to the press.
The team will support federal, state and local officials already on the ground assessing the health of people who have been or may have been exposed to chemicals.
The decision was made by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the request of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, and a state congressional delegation seeking additional federal assistance asked to ensure public health.
The train of about fifty cars had toxic material in eleven of them and derailed on February 3 while traveling through eastern Palestine, a town of fewer than 5,000 people forty miles from the industrial city of Pittsburgh and near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
Although East Palestine is small and in a fairly unpopulated area, the issue is being used by Republicans to slam the federal government for the fallout of what happened, despite President Joe Biden’s administration insisting that the area has no danger exists.
Official sources Friday defended the government’s actions, insisting the area is safe and the water uncontaminated, despite neighbors’ fears.
For example, this source assured that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dispatched a team to assist state and local rescue workers a few hours after the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
The incident happened after 7:00 a.m. on Monday.
Department of Transportation members also arrived at the scene to investigate what led to the derailment, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been coordinating closely with the local Emergency Operations Center.
Since the fires were extinguished on February 8, EPA air surveillance has not identified any public health concern attributed to the train derailment.
Neither does the water, as the EPA helps state and local agencies test surface and groundwater streams to ensure drinking water is safe.
Several local residents filed a lawsuit against the rail company last week, claiming they were affected by the gases released by the leaks and denouncing the negative impact the event would have on businesses in the area.