• 'Chernobyl 2.0'? Ohio Tra

    From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to ALL on Fri Feb 17 15:09:00 2023
    This message was from Usenet Poster to ALL,
    originally in misc.transport.rail.americas
    and was forwarded to you by MIKE POWELL
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    Since a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Ohio nearly two
    weeks ago, residents have feared for their safety. A controlled burn of
    the toxic materials has filled the air and covered surface waters and soil
    with chemicals. Dead fish have floated in nearby creeks, and an unnerving
    aroma has lingered in the air.

    But for many commentators from across the political spectrum, the
    speculation has gone far beyond known facts. Right-wing commentators have
    been particularly critical, using the crisis to sow distrust about
    government agencies and suggest that the damage could be irreparable.

    On social media like Twitter and Telegram, commentators have called the situation the .largest environmental disaster in history. or simply
    .Chernobyl 2.0,. invoking the 1986 nuclear disaster. They warned, without evidence, that vital water reservoirs serving states downriver could be
    badly contaminated. And they suggested that the authorities, railroad
    companies and mainstream news media were purposefully obscuring the full
    toll of the crisis.

    .?Planned attack, cover-up or both?. asked .Conservative Daily Podcast,. a program known for pushing far-right talking points.

    Some of that speculation was echoed by mainstream outlets like Fox News,
    which suggested the fallout could be catastrophic.

    .You better punch in at 9 a.m., Ohio, even if it means inhaling mustard
    gas on the way in,. said a sarcastic Jesse Watters, the Fox News host, on Tuesday, over a title reading: .Ohio town looks like Chernobyl..

    The Environmental Protection Agency and state officials have acknowledged
    that the situation in East Palestine, Ohio, is disastrous in many ways.
    After the train derailed on Feb. 3, a fire broke out and about 50 of the
    150 cars were derailed or damaged. Fearing an explosion, officials ordered nearby residents to evacuate before conducting a controlled burn, which released a toxic plume of smoke for several hours that was visible for
    miles.

    Since then, the E.P.A. has said air quality has returned to safe levels. Residents have been allowed to return. A chemical odor lingers because
    people can smell the contaminants even when they are far below hazardous concentrations, according to the agency. Water testing found .no
    indication of risk. to public water systems so far, the E.P.A. said,
    though private wells should be tested. Utilities drawing from the Ohio
    River were taking precautions, and at least one company said it had not detected any changes in the water.

    At a town-hall meeting on Wednesday, frustrated residents pressed
    officials for assurances that the air and water were safe. Experts urged caution as they assessed the long-term consequences, warning that airborne contaminants can settle on surfaces, seep into wells and migrate through
    cracks into basements and homes.

    Yet influencers and right-wing commentators were quick to the draw with conclusions of their own, theorizing about the extent of the damage and
    the federal response, which they have said amounted to an extensive cover-
    up.

    .It.s a really scary thing,. said Nick Sortor, a video journalist who has covered the situation, on .Tucker Carlson Tonight,. the popular Fox News
    show. .To think that the federal government cannot be trusted enough to
    tell us whether or not it.s safe to go into an area like this..

    .Well, they forced the Covid vaccines on the country,. Mr. Carlson
    replied, .so I think they can.t be trusted..

    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who oversees railroads, has
    become a target of criticism for many conservatives. Mr. Carlson called
    Mr. Buttigieg .flamboyantly incompetent. and said his actions were
    uncaring .almost to the point of evil..

    Online, some nonscientists wrote elaborate analyses about the toxic
    chemicals, speculating that the airborne concentration of vinyl chloride,
    one of the chemicals being carried on the train, was dangerously high.
    They rebuffed the E.P.A..s assessment that the air was safe, concluding
    instead that the area surrounding East Palestine was badly contaminated
    for miles.

    .Mind you I am no chemist, but simply looking up what these compounds can
    do is worrying,. wrote one user on the chat app Telegram in an analysis claiming the toxins would have been safer if not burned. In the town
    meeting on Wednesday, Trent R. Conaway, the mayor of East Palestine, said: .There were two options: Either we blow it up, or it blows up itself.
    There wasn.t a third..

    Local media reports described several environmental consequences from the controlled burn, including that some fish were found dead in nearby creeks
    and that some domesticated animals had fallen sick. An E.P.A.
    representative said at the town meeting that the chemicals were lethal to
    fish, not humans, and that the waterways were already repopulating with
    fish.

    But those reports quickly melded with unconfirmed, and far more severe,
    reports of environmental harms extending far beyond the burn site.

    .Dead fish and cattle being reported as far as 100 miles away from the
    site,. wrote Stew Peters, a right-wing commentator, on Twitter, offering
    no evidence. The tweet received more than 40 million views.

    The belief in a cover-up has gained steam in the days since, as internet
    users used the hashtag #OhioChernobyl to claim that national and local
    media were ignoring the disaster, though all major news networks and
    several local news organization devoted at least some coverage to the
    events.

    Those claims were emboldened after a reporter for NewsNation, a cable television news channel, was arrested while filming a report at a news conference and charged with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest. The charges were later dropped.

    .How does a reporter get hit with .criminal trespass.?. asked Chris Cuomo,
    the former CNN anchor, who hosts a show on NewsNation. .I.ll tell you how.
    This is when people in power don.t want you around..

    Stuart A. Thompson is a reporter on the Technology desk covering
    misinformation and disinformation. @stuartathompson

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/technology/ohio-train-derailment- chernobyl.html

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  • From Lee Lofaso@2:203/2 to Mike Powell on Sat Feb 18 14:10:53 2023
    Hello Mike,

    Since a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Ohio nearly two weeks ago, residents have feared for their safety. A controlled burn of the toxic materials has filled the air and covered surface waters and soil with chemicals. Dead fish have floated in nearby creeks, and an unnerving aroma has lingered in the air.

    The air is safe to breathe. The water is safe to drink. Even the mayor
    says it is. And breathes the air, and drinks the water.

    But for many commentators from across the political spectrum, the speculation has gone far beyond known facts.

    The rantings of a madman are not facts.

    For Life,
    Lee

    --
    Travel should take you places

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