Answers demanded on Ohio toxic fallout

LONDON/NEW YORK — Local residents are still demanding answers nearly two weeks after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in the small Ohio village of East Palestine.

Even though officials including Governor Mike DeWine have assured the residents that air quality in the town is safe, confusion and distrust still remain, the BBC reported.

Residents in the immediate area have complained of headaches and nausea more than a week after the chemicals were burned off, according to various US reports.

Environmental experts told the BBC they had misgivings about the decision by authorities to allow people to return to East Palestine so soon after the crash and controlled burn.

"It certainly feels like state and local regulators moved too quickly to give the green light to people to go back," David Masur, executive director of the PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center, was quoted as saying. "That builds a lot of distrust and skepticism from the public about trusting these agencies, which is a problem."

When the Norfolk Southern Corp train derailed on Feb 3, creating a fiery crash that spilled tons of chemicals, long-simmering tensions across the country were ignited, The Meadville Tribune in Pennsylvania said on Saturday.

"While the crash didn't cause any injuries or deaths, it has become a focal point of grievances and suspicions," it said, noting that "some have said corporate greed is taking precedence over rail safety and environmental protection".

In the aftermath, residents have complained about finding their cars covered in soot, their homes filled with overpowering odors and their pets falling ill or dying.

Train safety was already a flashpoint before the Norfolk Southern crash. Large railroad companies in the country have shed more than 40,000 workers since 2016 under a strategy called Precision Scheduled Railroading.

Xinhua - Agencies