Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, may have been forgotten by the Biden administration, but they are constantly reminded of the highly toxic chemical spill in their community stemming from a major train derailment in February.
“Nearly three months after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in” the community, “one resident is speaking out after experiencing health effects she believes are tied to the incident,” Fox News reported.
Courtney Miller, who lives in the town, described her symptoms to Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, explaining that she still has “many issues” she’s dealing with.
“A lot of it is stomach pain, constant stomach pain. It feels like stabbing in my stomach,” she said. “I’ve had a shortness of breath, I’ve tried to go to the hospital a few times because of it, and they’re telling me that I don’t meet the criteria.”
Miller mentioned that there were lesions on the right side of her face with pus draining out of them.
“I didn’t know if it was a chemical burn or if it was from the dioxins or why it’s only on the one side of my face and not the other,” she said.
Following the train derailment incident, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assumed responsibility for the response and cleanup efforts. The EPA conducted tests to check for contamination in the air and water in the surrounding regions. Miller revealed that she resides roughly 100 yards away from the derailment site and has obtained water samples, asserting that the EPA is “lying.”
“I spent 5 hours in the creek the one day, and then I spent numerous hours in the creeks afterwards just to find samples to make sure that we didn’t go unheard and that the EPA was lying to us, because they were,” she said.
“I found the dioxins, and I gave the test results, and no matter what I do, it’s just like endless. It’s endless. It’s endless of them shutting you down constantly of them not getting you answers. Just not doing anything,” she said.
Former President Donald Trump visited the community on Feb. 22 and met with the town’s mayor, Trent Conaway, who just backed him for his 2024 election bid.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg quickly arranged to visit the town the following day after he’d received a great deal of criticism for not going sooner.
The federal government’s response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment and the potential health impact on nearby residents has been widely criticized. Following the derailment incident in February, other residents of East Palestine have come forward to report health issues.
Shelby Walker told Fox she tested positive for vinyl chloride and benzene, two chemicals spilled by the derailment.
Miller informed Kilmeade that she has not received any financial assistance to cover medical costs since the incident. She intends to travel to New York to seek clarification on the matter. Miller has relocated her family out of the small town on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border but still resides there, Fox News noted.
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