— Seven US government investigators briefly fell ill in early March while studying the possible health impacts of a toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed to CNN on Thursday.
The illnesses are coming to light after repeated assurances by government officials and representatives from Norfolk Southern, the company that operated the train, that the air and drinking water in East Palestine is not hazardous to health. In a separate case in February, two contractors who were working for the US Environmental Protection Agency reported symptoms related to strong odors and reported them to the site safety officer. The safety officer advised the contractors to step away from the area where they were working and monitor their symptoms, according to a statement sent to CNN by an EPA spokesperson. Their symptoms eased, and they returned to work at the site the same day.
"I think it is important for not only government officials to communicate with each other, but also to communicate their experiences with the public, so that everybody can understand what's going on, and how help needs to be brought to East Palestine and the surrounding areas," Whelton told CNN.
The government team that experienced symptoms is from the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, or ATSDR, a branch that assesses the health impacts of chemical exposures. After the train derailment, ATSDR sent 15 people to East Palestine to conduct an Assessment of Chemical Exposure, known as an ACE investigation.
The official who was familiar with the cases said team members reported their illnesses to the EPA's on-site safety officer, who advised them to return to their hotel in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles from East Palestine, and to the CDC's Office of Safety, Security and Asset Management, or OSSAM, the agency's workplace safety office. OSSAM agreed with the EPA assessment that team members should return to their hotel that night, March 6.
The surveys can't prove that residents were exposed to harmful levels of chemicals or that those chemicals caused their symptoms. They are meant to be a snapshot, documenting the health of the community after an event that results in potentially hazardous exposures.
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