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Those who have been keeping an eye on the aftermath of last year's Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine will know there is still enormous concern over what short- and long-term health consequences will result from the release of chemicals into the air, water and soil.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials revealed relatively quickly that some of their workers going door-to-door after the event got sick. But we are just learning they were not the only out-of-town workers to experience symptoms, and we are learning it because the Associated Press was able to get a copy of the report. Otherwise, it might never have been made public.
Contracted workers were using an air knife to shoot compressed air into a creek bed to release chemicals from the sediment and water. They got sick, and were sent back to their hotels to rest, with no further mention made.
A homeowner who lived near where one of the machines were in use reported losing her voice for two weeks.
Still, Norfolk Southern's Heather Garcia said "The health and safety of our employees, contractors, and the community has been paramount throughout the recovery in East Palestine."
If that was the case, such details would have been released the second they came to light, not left to be dug up after the prodding of a news organization. But come to light it did, in an AP report published Aug. 14. The deadline for those affected to decide whether to accept a settlement payment from Norfolk Southern (and forfeit their right to sue later if more serious, long-term health concerns arise) is this Thursday.
An independent toxicologist told the AP the use of an air knife was "not an informed decision," given the way in which it spreads contaminants and increases chance for exposure.
In fact, three weeks after the first workers were sickened during the creek cleanup, another worker got sick. That's when the contractor decided to stop the cleanup.
"It's absolutely egregious, and that shouldn't happen. I think that any type of information like that -- just like when the CDC workers came to the area and got sick -- that should be disclosed instead of diminished," East Palestine resident Misti Allison said. "Especially when it comes to human health, nothing should be swept under the rug."
Yet time and again, especially by those who have a financial stake in the matter, it is.
East Palestine area residents are facing a decision -- and soon. They have a right to all the information regarding the health effects of what their community has endured before they make it.