East Palestine, Ohio “controlled” explosion and resulting toxic chemical mushroom cloud.
On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train hauling carcinogenic chemicals derailed in the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, sending plumes of dangerous gas into the atmosphere during a “controlled release” burn. The main chemical mentioned in reports, vinyl chloride, is used to make PVC. Exposure to vinyl chloride is known to cause certain cancers, according to Cancer.gov:
Vinyl chloride exposure is associated with an increased risk of a rare form of liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma), as well as primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), brain and lung cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia.
The Gateway Pundit reported earlier about additional chemicals that were disclosed as being a part of this derailment and the impact its having thus far on local wildlife. Fish and aquatic life are turning up dead in local creeks and rivers that feed into the Ohio River and eventually, the Mississippi River. Most residents, however, have been told they can return safely to their homes.
TGP will be releasing more articles specifically focused on the preventability of this accident, but first, the direct cause needs to be clear: shocking video released by the Post-Gazette shows CCTV footage of the Norfolk Southern train moments before it derailed. In this video, the axles on one car appear to be on fire. This is confirmed by a photo shown to The Gateway Pundit in color and with a timestamp. The timestamp on the photo suggests this axle may have been on fire at least 40 minutes prior to the reported 9 pm derailment.
East Palestine officials will hold a town hall meeting tonight at the local high school to discuss the recent train derailment and the mushroom cloud of toxic chemicals that was released by non-resident experts.
They are expecting a huge turnout and changed the rules to run the meeting.