Thread by @UR_Ninja

NEW VIDEO: The Chemical Disaster in East Palestine, Ohio [10min] - <Premiering now>
#EastPalestineIncident #EastPalestineIncident #norfolksoutherndisaster #NorfolkSouthern

A major chemical disaster displaced around 2,000 people for days. Residents living dozens of miles away could smell chlorine-like odors . A Norfolk Southern train carrying the carcinogenic chemical vinyl chloride derailed and train cars crumpled
VIDEO:

NEW STORY >>>> Deep Dive on #EastPalestine disaster
‘Like the Doors of Hell Were Open’: East Palestine Train Disaster Casts Toxic Cloud Over Future of OH/PA Region
unicornriot.ninja/2023/like-the-…

Late on Monday, Feb. 6, enormous columns of dense smoke rose from the site after authorities generated a “controlled” explosion, as they said pressure buildups risked more debris from a larger uncontrolled one. #eastpalestine
>> Full Report: unicornriot.ninja/2023/like-the-…

New video tonight - 10mins: East Palestine Chemical Disaster - Toxic vinyl chloride clouds spread after detonation -- Security cameras show glowing train -- Authorities could not identify chemicals for hours -- A first-hand look #eastpalestine . FULL video 👇👇

New report: Look at deadly chemicals, evidence, crisis management, derailments & political influence of #NorfolkSouthern leading up to the disaster. The dark toxic cloud spilled to western PA, then largely pushed north-Ohio’s Mahoning & Trumbull counties unicornriot.ninja/2023/like-the-…

Nearby residents at the fringes of the evacuation zone described unsettling physical reactions, sensations in their lungs and palpable residues. By Friday people in the region were still experiencing health effects. Reports of dead fish, chickens, and at least one fox mounted.

According to Mahoning County Hazmat Chief Steve Szekely, the disaster was “like the doors of hell were open… flames were shooting up in the air at least 100 feet… We didn’t know what chemicals there were. But once on the scene, we can smell. You can smell it in the air that… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

➡️NEW Report Sections:
“Nothing Alarming” Said Authorities | Glowing Train 20 Miles From Site | Rail Labor Flags Lack of Safety | Freight Rail Future Dark & Cloudy | Missing Chemical Manifest Shows Evasive Practices | Rail PACs, Coal Promoting ⬅️
unicornriot.ninja/2023/like-the-…

The governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, warned around 1:30 p.m. Monday, “If you are in this red zone that is on the map and you refuse to evacuate, you are risking death. This is very serious. ... You risk permanent lung damage within a matter of hours or days.”

Ohio governor Mike DeWine said on Sunday, Feb. 5, “You need to leave, you just need to leave. This is a matter of life and death.” Police and the Ohio National Guard sealed off the area.

but by 8:07 p.m. Monday PA's Emergency Management Agency posted, “we are being told that everything was carried out according to plan. … Both @PennsylvaniaDEP and @EPA are monitoring air and water quality and have detected nothing alarming.”

https://twitter.com/PEMAHQ/status/1622763836502581250

@PennsylvaniaDEP @EPA A WKBN27 report late on Feb. 6 said emergency managers didn’t consider the vinyl chloride-laden cloud “toxic or dangerous.” Another report released late on the 6th featured residents saying “I think they hid things from us,” expecting damage to be permanent.

@PennsylvaniaDEP @EPA That same night on WKBN27, a TV anchor smelled it outside the station. Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti struck a note of caution about the “very toxic” “plume of poison” warning people should shelter as “advisement,” not an official order.

@PennsylvaniaDEP @EPA Jim Kosior, a nearby resident of Darlington, PA, provided Unicorn Riot with videos he filmed over the days of the disaster and on Feb. 7 described experiencing the toxic chemicals with his wife:

https://twitter.com/jim_kosior/status/1622833669701267456

@jim_kosior
Full story - unicornriot.ninja/2023/like-the-…

@PennsylvaniaDEP @EPA @jim_kosior A dark cloud of toxic chemicals over Darlington, PA after the 'controlled release' blast late last Monday. (Brightness enhanced.) Source: Jim Kosior @jim_kosior #EastPalestineIncident #EastPalestineOhio #eastpalestinedisaster #ChemicalDisaster #Chemicalspill #vinylchloride

In combustion, #VinylChloride can turn into deadly #phosgene (Carbonyl chloride), one of the main chemical weapons used in World War I. It shows the recklessness of authorities--phosgene’s likely presence from the crucible of the burning train cars has largely been ignored.

Vinyl chloride’s other byproduct, hydrogen chloride, is unstable acidic gas and reacts with water to form hydrochloric acid.
Importantly, these chemicals are heavier than air and can settle in low lying areas like basements. #eastpalestine #vinylchloride #hydrochloricAcid… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The story is still moving fast:
In the last 48 hours the EPA added ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and butyl acrylate to the list of toxic chemicals that leaked. A Morning Journal News editorial said this should put more pressure on the railroad company.

A February 12 report from WFMJ says locals are demanding long-term testing beyond a 1-mile radius. Hazardous material expert Sil Caggiano told WKBN-27, “We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.” #eastpalestinedisaster

Sil Caggiano warned residents to get health checkups for documentation as #cancer clusters could develop in future years.
Many observers suspect #NorfolkSouthern prioritized a quick cleanup over a slower, more careful one — which would have blocked the line’s reopening longer.

It appears that videos from Salem, Ohio, show glowing or fiery conditions on a car of the soon-derailed Norfolk Southern train at least 20 miles away from the disaster site.
A security camera at Butech Bliss showed bright light from the “hot box” axle overheating. #eastpalestine

Many rail workers believe owners have made the trains too long, which makes it impossible to spot conditions like brightly glowing 'hotboxes' asin this disaster -- axles grinding that can reach 100s if not 1000+ degrees overheating.

A Feb. 10 report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shows a hot box detector near a Salem meat processing plant called Fresh Mark should have been triggered, and the train should have stopped there immediately.
Unicorn Riot found an image passed around by local residents, ostensibly… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The lack of safety comes as little surprise to long-beleaguered union railroad workers, who got saddled in December with a deal forcibly imposed by Congress and the White House that does not even include sick leave.

Railroad companies have splurged on billions in stock buybacks amid record net profits. By slamming workers with “precision scheduling“, massive layoffs and now exhausting long shifts are institutionalized while damaging supply chain stability.

Railroad Workers United, a labor caucus with members in all U.S. rail unions, blamed the #eastpalestine disaster both precision scheduling and the way weight was distributed: @railroadworkers

@railroadworkers On Wednesday, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said that the town of Weirton along the Ohio River had to switch its water supply due to contamination from the disaster, although local officials say water is currently safe. An Ohio River source, the Little Beaver Creek, which… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

@railroadworkers WKBN independently verified dead fish in Leslie Run, which comes out of East Palestine and heads downstream in Bull Creek. Endangered hellbender salamanders may be threatened by toxic chemicals as well. #EastPalestineOH #ToxicCloud #vinylchloride #ChemicalDisaster

@railroadworkers Check our our full report on #EastPalestine:
Sections: “Nothing Alarming” Said Authorities | Videos Show Glowing Train 20 Miles From Site | Rail Labor Flags Lack of Safety | Freight Future Looks Dark | Missing Chemical Manifest Shows Evasive Practices | unicornriot.ninja/2023/like-the-…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…