IN FEBRUARY, an eighteen-thousand-ton train carrying industrial chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, spilling more than a hundred thousand gallons of pollutants that most of us are lucky enough to have no idea about, like vinyl chloride. A few days later, officials decided to burn several tanks of toxic cargo to stop them from exploding. The column of black smoke was visible for miles.
Since then, locals have reported symptoms like rashes and coughing; some have been diagnosed with chemical bronchitis. As of March 1, the EPA said that air quality tests from 578 homes showed no problems, and that the water is actually great to drink. (Officials quickly completed the ritual of ingesting what Tarence Ray calls the “Devil’s Milkshake.”) Yet outside experts argue that the agency has been slow to act on testing for dioxins, a toxic byproduct of burning vinyl chloride. “Everything I put in my mouth tastes like a copper penny, from water to toothpaste to pasta and bread,” one resident told The Guardian. That’s probably fine, right?
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