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Lawrence County couple says well water, soil testing urgent after East Palestine train derailment

Lawrence County couple says well water, soil testing urgent after East Palestine train derailment

Lawrence County couple says well water, soil testing urgent after East Palestine train derailment

Lawrence County couple says well water, soil testing urgent after East Palestine train derailment

A COUPLE IN LAWRENCE COUNTY LIVES ABOUT FIVE MILES AWAY FROM THAT EAST PALESTINE TRAIN DERAILMENT SITE. AND THEY TELL ME THEY GOT SICK IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT CONTROLLED RELEASE OF VINYL CHLORIDE. AND SINCE THEN, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN DRINKING FROM THEIR WELL WATER. THEY SAY THAT WATER AND SOIL TESTING HERE IN LAWRENCE COUNTY IS URGENT. FOR 18 DAYS NOW, BOTTLED WATER ONLY FOR JILL AND TIM MCCONAUGHEY. I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE EVACUATED FURTHER OUT THE BASE OF THIS PLUME OF VINYL CHLORIDE WAS JUST ABOUT FIVE MILES FROM THEIR HOME ACROSS STATE LINES IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. BOTH BECAME SICK WITH NAUSEA, HEADACHES AND RASHES TO NAME A FEW SYMPTOMS. DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, DR. MAUREEN LITCHFIELD, SAID THOSE SYMPTOMS ARE CONSISTENT WITH VINYL CHLORIDE, BUT THERE’S NO WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE IF IT WAS A CAUSE. SHE’S FOCUSED ON POSSIBLE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE. AGAIN, THAT’S STILL GOING TO BOWL OR FIND A FLORIDA EXPOSURE. IT IS THE LIVER. AND SO WE WANT TO FOLLOW. WE WANT TO, OF COURSE, KNOW WHAT’S IN THE ENVIRONMENT, STOP THE EXPOSURE. BUT THEN WE WANT TO FOLLOW THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED FOR A LONG TIME. THAT’S NOW THE MCCONAUGHEY’S MAIN CONCERN. WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS? YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO GET OUR WELL TESTED AND OUR SOIL TESTED. WE WON’T BE PLANTING A GARDEN THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE’RE AFRAID OF THE SOIL BEING DAMAGED. NOT ONLY FOR THEIR SAKE, BUT FOR THEIR ANIMALS. WE PRAY, CHANGE YOUR WATER A DOZEN TIMES OVER THE WEEKEND BECAUSE IT WILL KEEP GETTING A FILM ON IT. SOMETHING’S DEFINITELY THERE. GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO IS DIRECTING ANYONE WITH CONCERNS ABOUT, WELL, WATER TESTING TO CALL THE DEEP SOUTH WEST REGIONAL OFFICE. THE COMMONWEALTH I WANT YOU TO KNOW, IS GOING TO CONTINUE MONITORING THE SAFETY OF PENNSYLVANIA’S AIR, WATER AND ENVIRONMENT. NORFOLK SOUTHERN SPECIFICALLY MENTIONING EAST PALESTINE. IN A STATEMENT SAYING IN PART, WE ARE COMMITTED TO THOROUGHLY AND SAFELY CLEANING THE SITE AND WE ARE REIMBURSING RESIDENTS FOR THE DISRUPTION THIS HAS CAUSED THEIR LIVES. BUT JILL, STRESSING THE IMPACT THIS DERAILMENT HAS HAD ON HER COMMUNITY BEYOND THE ONE MILE RADIUS OF THE SITE, EAST PALESTINE AND THE BEAVER COUNTY AREA, THEY’RE GETTING BOTTLED WATER AND IN HELP. BUT WE’RE NOT GETTING ANYTHING. THERE’S NOWHERE AROUND HERE IN LAWREN
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Lawrence County couple says well water, soil testing urgent after East Palestine train derailment

Lawrence County couple says well water, soil testing urgent after East Palestine train derailment

A Lawrence County couple, who lives about five miles from Norfolk Southern Train derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, is dealing with the aftermath of the controlled release of vinyl chloride.Jill and Tim McConaughy said they got sick immediately after that controlled release of vinyl chloride on Feb. 6, three days after the derailment.For 18 days now, the McConaughys have consumed bottled water only. They said water and soil testing in Lawrence County is urgent. “I think they should’ve evacuated further out,” Jill McConaughy said.Both became sick with nausea, headaches, and rashes, to name a few symptoms.Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Dr. Maureen Litchveld said those symptoms are consistent with vinyl chloride, but there’s no way to know for sure if it was the cause. She’s focused on the possible long-term effects of exposure.“The organ most vulnerable to vinyl chloride exposure is the liver, so we want to follow, we want to, of course, know it’s in the environment, stop the exposure, but then we went to follow the people who have been exposed for a long time,” Lichtveld said.That’s now the McConaughys’ main concern.“What are the long-term effects? We want to get our well tested and our soil tested. We won’t be planting a garden this year, because we are afraid of the soil being damaged,” Jill McConaughy said.They said the testing is crucial, not only for their sake, but for their animals.“We probably changed the water a dozen times over the weekend, because it would keep getting a film on it. Something’s definitely there,” Tim McConaughy said.Gov. Josh Shapiro is directing Pennsylvanians to call the PA DEP, Southwest Regional Office at 412-442-4000.“The commonwealth, I want you to know, is going to continue monitoring the safety of Pennsylvania’s air, water, and environment to ensure that Pennsylvanians have the information they need to stay safe in the weeks and the months ahead,” Shapiro said.“It could take months before it shows up in our well so I’d like to get a baseline to see where we’re at with that now, and then keep getting it tested every three to six months,” Jill McConaughy said.“I want accountability from our government leaders. I’d like more accountability from our industry leaders,” Tim McConaughy said.Norfolk Southern specifically mentioned East Palestine in a statement, saying in part, “We are committed to thoroughly and safely cleaning the site, and we are reimbursing residents for the disruption this has caused in their lives.”Jill McConaughy stressed the impact this derailment has had on her community, beyond the one-mile radius of the site.“East Palestine, and Beaver County area, they are getting bottled water and help, but we are not getting anything, at least nowhere around here,” Jill McConaughy said.

A Lawrence County couple, who lives about five miles from Norfolk Southern Train derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, is dealing with the aftermath of the controlled release of vinyl chloride.

Jill and Tim McConaughy said they got sick immediately after that controlled release of vinyl chloride on Feb. 6, three days after the derailment.

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For 18 days now, the McConaughys have consumed bottled water only. They said water and soil testing in Lawrence County is urgent.

“I think they should’ve evacuated further out,” Jill McConaughy said.

Both became sick with nausea, headaches, and rashes, to name a few symptoms.

Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Dr. Maureen Litchveld said those symptoms are consistent with vinyl chloride, but there’s no way to know for sure if it was the cause. She’s focused on the possible long-term effects of exposure.

“The organ most vulnerable to vinyl chloride exposure is the liver, so we want to follow, we want to, of course, know it’s in the environment, stop the exposure, but then we went to follow the people who have been exposed for a long time,” Lichtveld said.

That’s now the McConaughys’ main concern.

“What are the long-term effects? We want to get our well tested and our soil tested. We won’t be planting a garden this year, because we are afraid of the soil being damaged,” Jill McConaughy said.

They said the testing is crucial, not only for their sake, but for their animals.

“We probably changed the water a dozen times over the weekend, because it would keep getting a film on it. Something’s definitely there,” Tim McConaughy said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is directing Pennsylvanians to call the PA DEP, Southwest Regional Office at 412-442-4000.

“The commonwealth, I want you to know, is going to continue monitoring the safety of Pennsylvania’s air, water, and environment to ensure that Pennsylvanians have the information they need to stay safe in the weeks and the months ahead,” Shapiro said.

“It could take months before it shows up in our well so I’d like to get a baseline to see where we’re at with that now, and then keep getting it tested every three to six months,” Jill McConaughy said.

“I want accountability from our government leaders. I’d like more accountability from our industry leaders,” Tim McConaughy said.

Norfolk Southern specifically mentioned East Palestine in a statement, saying in part, “We are committed to thoroughly and safely cleaning the site, and we are reimbursing residents for the disruption this has caused in their lives.”

Jill McConaughy stressed the impact this derailment has had on her community, beyond the one-mile radius of the site.

“East Palestine, and Beaver County area, they are getting bottled water and help, but we are not getting anything, at least nowhere around here,” Jill McConaughy said.