3 weeks after derailment, farmers have questions
According to Wagoner, they have had no reports of any animal death or illness
According to Wagoner, they have had no reports of any animal death or illness
According to Wagoner, they have had no reports of any animal death or illness
Tall Pines Farms sits on a beautiful piece of land in Darlington Township, just a few miles from the derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio.
The farm has been owned by the Wagoner family since 1949. They are third and fourth generation farmers who specialize in grass-fed beef and lamb.
"It has been fairly normal, which seems kind of weird for how everyone in the community is experiencing things," said Rachel Wagoner.
Wagoner is used to rolling with the punches, as it comes with the territory of owning and operating a farm. She says even three weeks post-derailment, she remains on high-alert.
So far, the livestock at Tall Pines Farms has had no issues. According to Wagoner, they have had no reports of any animal death or illness. However, the wife and mother of two says she's been keeping a close eye on the animals to be sure.
"[When it comes to] Farming, you're tied to the land," added Wagoner. "I guess we could go find some grass somewhere else, but why should we have to because of something that was not our fault?"
While Wagoner feels fortunate to have had no issues on the farm post-derailment, she still has concerns, especially centered on dioxins. Experts say dioxins are environmental pollutants that are a possible byproduct when vinyl chloride burns.
"It's a concern that it is so difficult to get information on it and also to figure out how to get testing done in the right way," said Wagoner.
At its most recent press briefing Monday afternoon, the EPA said they are not currently testing for dioxins. Regional EPA Administrator Debra Shore says the problem is they don't have previous data to compare any new tests against.
"We don't have baseline information for dioxins — they are ubiquitous in the environment - they can be caused by wildfires, by backyard grilling, by a host of other normal activities in human life and without that information it would be hard to attribute any level to the derailment," said Shore.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan will be back in East Palestine on Tuesday afternoon.
