--- title: "Locals Near Ohio Toxic Train Crash Say They’re Experiencing Weird Symptoms" description: "The fallout from the train derailment and subsequent chemical spill and burn in East Palestine, Ohio continues apace with new reports of illnesses." date: "2023-02-27" modified: "2023-02-27" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/ohio-train-derailment-symptoms" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "bronchitis" - "crash" - "ohio train derailment" - "toxic chemicals" --- # Locals Near Ohio Toxic Train Crash Say They’re Experiencing Weird Symptoms ![The fallout from the train derailment and subsequent chemical spill and burn in East Palestine, Ohio continues apace with new reports of illnesses.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* The fallout from the train derailment and subsequent chemical spill and burn in Ohio continues, with new reports indicating that people who live near the East Palestine, Ohio crash site are starting to get sick. As [*NBC News* reports](), both workers and residents near the eastern Ohio site of the Norfolk Southern crash have been diagnosed with bronchitis and other ailments that their doctors and nurses believe could be linked to the catastrophic derailment. In interviews with *NBC*, East Palestine resident Melissa Blake described the terrifying breathing issues she developed just days after the crash that occurred within a mile of her home. Eventually, she was diagnosed with "acute bronchitis due to chemical fumes," according to medical records the news outlet viewed. "They gave me a breathing machine," Blake, who hasn't moved back home since being discharged three weeks ago, told *NBC*. "They put me on oxygen. They gave me three types of steroids." She's not alone, either — half of the 10-person staff at CeremFab, a manufacturing firm located next to the crash site, is reportedly still out sick after the crash, *NBC* noted. While it appears the people who spoke to *NBC* got sick from the actual crash and not its aftermath, there are still significant concerns that it may still be unsafe to breathe the air or [drink the water]() in the area surrounding the derailment — even though authorities began urging residents that it's safe to go home just a few days after the disaster. In some ways, the official response has seemed muddled. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to [insist that it's safe]() for residents to be in their homes near the crash site — but, as [*NPR* noted over the weekend](), asked for a pause on the shipping of the toxic waste from the site, for some reason. As of now, the open-ended question remains whether it's genuinely safe for residents of East Palestine and the surrounding area to be home — or if we have another Flint on our hands. **More on the East Palestine disaster:** [*Wait, Did Officials Just Pretend to Drink the Tap Water in East Palestine?*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()