Governor Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) is urging residents in northeast Ohio to evacuate if they have not done so already.
The Governor’s office said residents were warned of “the potential of a catastrophic tanker failure” after a “drastic temperature change” was discovered in the rail car, adding that teams were working to prevent an explosion at the scene in the village of East Palestine.
Everyone within a 1-mile radius of the scene was advised to leave immediately. Many had already left the area, but local officials said more than 500 residents had opted to stay put as of Sunday night.
Federal investigators announced early Sunday that a mechanical issue with a rail car axle caused the derailment Friday night near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
According to Fox News, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway said one person was arrested for going around barricades and approaching the train. He warned of additional arrests if people did not stay away from the site.
“I don’t know why anybody would want to be up there, you’re breathing toxic fumes if you’re that close,” he said, emphasizing that monitors of air quality away from the fire did not show levels of concern and that the town’s water is safe because it uses groundwater unaffected by some material that went into streams.
Transportation company Norfolk Southern said 20 of the more than 100 cars on the train were classified as carrying hazardous materials.
Vinyl chloride, used to make the polyvinyl chloride hard plastic resin in a number of plastic products, is associated with a heightened risk of some cancers, according to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute.
“Short-term exposure to low levels of substances associated with the derailment does not present a long-term health risk to residents,” according to a post on the village’s Facebook page. “Vinyl chloride and benzene may cause cancer in people exposed in the workplace to high concentrations for many years; however, there is no indication that any potential exposure that occurred after the derailment increases the risk of cancer or any other long-term health effects in community members.”
Officials said Sunday afternoon that cars involved in the derailment also carried combustible liquids, butyl acrylate and residue of benzene from prior shipments. They also said nonhazardous materials such as wheat, plastic pellets, malt liquors and lube oil were being transported.
The evacuation order included 1,500 to 2,000 of the town’s 4,800 to 4,900 residents.
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