EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — There are still a lot of unanswered questions lingering a week after the controlled release of vinyl chloride from some of the cars involved in the train derailment in East Palestine.
We do know more about the other hazardous materials that the train was carrying, including some not mentioned before today.
Families worry about what the impact will be on their health years from now.
News 5 returned to East Palestine to hear a sight and sound well-known there as a train passed through the village center.
What was curious to watch was the excavation work at ground zero.
"This really, it actually put east Palestine on the map,” William Hugar said.
Hugar isn’t watching from afar, since he lives at ground zero. He told us he wasn’t worried.
Behind his house sit charred rail cars beyond toys and trees. Excavator crews appeared to be clearing soil and brush.
"The water quality is all in the creeks and they have the EPA on it, they're cleaning constantly and thank goodness we haven't had any major rainstorms,” Hugar said.
The U.S. EPA released a list by Norfolk Southern of the flammable gas and liquids and their status in the rail cars when the train derailed on Feb. 3, later sending a black plume over the village.
They include vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene and butyl acrylates.
News 5 first learned about vinyl chloride being one of the materials on board. Cars carrying it were intentionally breached and set on fire in a controlled burn.
“I don’t see a choice that I have to leave,” Sue Dunlap said.
Dunlap lives just outside what was the evacuation zone.
"It's just like, well if it can get over there, why can't it come here?” Dunlap said. She’s washed all her towels and curtains and now boils her water for tea, coffee and when it’s time to eat.
Dunlap can’t afford testing right now.
"The water I'm kind of concerned about — from what I've heard, it's 100s of dollars if you're not in the evacuation zone,” Dunlap said.
According to the EPA, air monitoring since the fire went out hasn’t shown levels of concern.
More than 400 requests have come in for indoor air screenings.
Vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride weren’t found in more than half the tests so far.
The EPA issued a potential liability letter to Norfolk Southern, saying cars with four chemicals are known and continue to be released into the air and surface soil and waters.
"I think there had been already cause for concern and continues to be unanswered questions,” said Professor Miranda Leppla.
Leppla is the director of the Environmental Law Clinic at Case Western Reserve University.
"Some of these are known carcinogens, so we've got potential future risk if this is contaminated if we've got contaminated water long term. Unfortunately, the reality of these types of chemicals is that we have contamination of our air and water — they can cause long-term health issues of the population they affect,” Leppla said.
News 5 spoke with Linda Murphy about a week ago. She lives just up the hill from Leslie Run Creek. She was worried about her well water. Now she says she's on the list for well testing but wants independent testing too.
"Obviously it might not be instantaneous where there's a result this could be long term for years and years,” Murphy said last week.
"Cross that bridge when it comes to it I guess cause life goes on,” Dunlap said. Dunlap is relying on her faith to see her family through this.
“They prayed for all of us and just kind of left it up to God to ease my mind and get on with my life because I don't have a whole lot of choice otherwise,” Dunlap said.
News 5 also reached out to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources about the dead fish in the nearby creeks.
As of last week, ODNR says the spill killed an estimated 3,50 fish in three different creeks with about 7.5 miles of stream impacted.
READ MORE: ODNR estimates 3,500 fish killed by East Palestine train derailment, spill
Late Monday, News 5 received a copy of the remediation plan sent by Norfolk Southern to the EPA. The plan was sent after the EPA sent a notice to Norfolk Southern requesting a response regarding the company's responsibility for the cleanup and willingness to perform or finance activities to address the contamination caused by the derailment.
View the remediation plan below:
