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Sadly, the author of this article doesn't provide any proof of his statements regarding chemicals "draining into the Ohio river"... he just seems to accept the

Sadly, the author of this article doesn't provide any proof of his statements regarding chemicals "draining into the Ohio river"... he just seems to accept the statements made in other news sources without question. Here's the latest news from Cincinatti: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/water/news/ohio-river-test-results-show-no-contaminants/ https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/water/news/ohio-river-test-res... Various conspiracy minded and politically motivated groups continue to push the Ohio derailment as some sort of environmental apocalypse in social media and elsewhere online when the evidence seems to indicate the spill was successfully contained.

mikeyouse 4y ago
The EPA reported the runoff into local creeks and damage to aquatic wildlife.. and further testing found at minimum ethyl hexyl acrylate in a creek that directly drains into the Ohio River.. not sure how much more "proof" you'd need for that.. > Responding crews discovered contaminated runoff on two surface water streams: Sulphur Run and Leslie Run. Under Ohio EPA oversight, Norfolk Southern emergency response contractors installed booms and underflow dams to restrict the flow of contaminated water as well as contain and collect floating product. > U.S. EPA took water samples at the streams and has sent them to a laboratory for analysis. Emergency response staff noticed impacted aquatic life and notified the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Interior. Ohio DNR is on site and is assessing the situation and the impacts to aquatic life. Downstream water utilities were also notified. (https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=15933 https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=1593...) > Water quality sampling taken Feb. 10 shows very low levels of two contaminants, butyl acrylate and ethyl hexyl acrylate, in Leslie Run which dissipates quickly, and no detects of butyl acrylate in North Fork Little Beaver Creek or Little Beaver Creek. There was a much lower level of ethyl hexyl acrylate found in North Fork Little Beaver Creek. Little Beaver Creek did not have any ethyl hexyl acrylate. No vinyl chloride has been detected in any of these waterways. Sulfur Run flows into Leslie Run, which flows into North Fork Little Beaver Creek, which flows into Little Beaver Creek, which discharges into the Ohio River. (https://epa.ohio.gov/monitor-pollution/pollution-issues/east-palestine https://epa.ohio.gov/monitor-pollution/pollution-issues/east...) I don't even disagree that this is being slightly overblown if you look solely at the nature of the leaked chemicals -- but a bit of artistic license in service of fewer derailments and chemical leaks seems fair enough.
- Accujack 4y ago
  The ends do not justify the means in this case.
  - mikeyouse 4y ago
    The ends of safer rail infrastructure don't justify the means of some people occasionally exaggerating the degree of pollution that found the waterways vs the amount that was just dumped into the soil or burned? We'll have to agree to disagree.

mikeyouse 4y ago

The EPA reported the runoff into local creeks and damage to aquatic wildlife.. and further testing found at minimum ethyl hexyl acrylate in a creek that directly drains into the Ohio River.. not sure how much more "proof" you'd need for that.. > Responding crews discovered contaminated runoff on two surface water streams: Sulphur Run and Leslie Run. Under Ohio EPA oversight, Norfolk Southern emergency response contractors installed booms and underflow dams to restrict the flow of contaminated water as well as contain and collect floating product. > U.S. EPA took water samples at the streams and has sent them to a laboratory for analysis. Emergency response staff noticed impacted aquatic life and notified the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Interior. Ohio DNR is on site and is assessing the situation and the impacts to aquatic life. Downstream water utilities were also notified. (https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=15933 https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=1593...) > Water quality sampling taken Feb. 10 shows very low levels of two contaminants, butyl acrylate and ethyl hexyl acrylate, in Leslie Run which dissipates quickly, and no detects of butyl acrylate in North Fork Little Beaver Creek or Little Beaver Creek. There was a much lower level of ethyl hexyl acrylate found in North Fork Little Beaver Creek. Little Beaver Creek did not have any ethyl hexyl acrylate. No vinyl chloride has been detected in any of these waterways. Sulfur Run flows into Leslie Run, which flows into North Fork Little Beaver Creek, which flows into Little Beaver Creek, which discharges into the Ohio River. (https://epa.ohio.gov/monitor-pollution/pollution-issues/east-palestine https://epa.ohio.gov/monitor-pollution/pollution-issues/east...) I don't even disagree that this is being slightly overblown if you look solely at the nature of the leaked chemicals -- but a bit of artistic license in service of fewer derailments and chemical leaks seems fair enough.

Accujack 4y ago
The ends do not justify the means in this case.
- mikeyouse 4y ago
  The ends of safer rail infrastructure don't justify the means of some people occasionally exaggerating the degree of pollution that found the waterways vs the amount that was just dumped into the soil or burned? We'll have to agree to disagree.