It’s been about three weeks since the East Palestine train derailment and highly-toxic chemical release into the environment.
East Palestine residents continue reporting debilitating health impacts following the disaster.
One man said his voice sounds like he inhaled helium after the train derailment.
“It’s been like this ever since the train blew up,” Wade Lovett, a 40-year-old auto detailer, described his voice.
“I sound like Mickey Mouse,” Lovett added.
“My doctor says I most definitely have the chemicals in me,” he noted.
“My chest hurts at night time. It feels like I’m drowning a little. I have a hard time breathing. I cough up phlegm a lot,” Lovett explained about his other symptoms.
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The New York Post reported:
Despite his health woes, Lovett and his fiancée, Tawnya Irwin, 45, spent last Thursday delivering bottled water to locals. They picked up new cases outside a home on East Clark Street which has become the heart of East Palestine’s homegrown campaign to fight back against the forces that upended the lives of roughly 4,700 residents and their animals.
Locals are frustrated and furious over what they say has been a lack of real information and help from both local officials and the Biden Administration. Last week, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway ripped President Biden for heading to Ukraine for a surprise visit instead of the scene of the toxic train derailment, calling it “the biggest slap in the face.”
Although EPA and local officials said it was “safe” for East Palestine residents to return, Texas A&M researchers provided an analysis that contradicts those statements.
9/11 Victims Lawyer Has Urgent Message For East Palestine Residents
Newsweek described other symptoms experienced by local residents:
However, some locals say they have become sick even as the area is deemed safe to return to.
The New Republic spoke with several homeowners who said they had suffered the effects of chemical exposure, including Chelsea Simpson, whose 8-month-old baby needed medical treatment and drugs after developing breathing difficulties.
Therese Vigliotti, who lives 15 miles north of East Palestine and was therefore not included in the evacuation zone, said she had suffered from numb lips, a burning tongue and throat, and even blood in her stools. Her throat is still troubling her ten days after the derailment.
Other residents also reported suffering from a range of symptoms, including Amanda Greathouse, who wore an N-95 mask and gloves when she briefly returned home to collect some things. She said her eyes burned, her throat became painful, and she developed a rash, while her husband developed a migraine.
Journalists reporting from East Palestine said they've experienced symptoms while in the area.
Real America’s Voice reporter Savannah Hernandez said her skin was burning a little bit while in the rain during Wednesday’s coverage from East Palestine.
Real America's Voice reporter Savannah Hernandez said her skin was burning a little bit while in the rain during Wednesday's coverage from East Palestine, Ohio.
"It’s raining here today. And my skin has actually been burning because of what I would assume are the chemicals."
— DailyNoah.com (@DailyNoahNews) February 23, 2023
Real News No Bullshit reporters who interviewed chemical engineer Ronald Lucy said the smell from the water was so bad that they had to walk away due to their throats burning.
Ronald tells us that he’s here taking samples of the air, water, and soil because it’s important for an independent investigator to verify what government officials and representatives of Norfolk Southern are saying.
We’ve posted our interview with him in multiple reels. We want to add that the smell from this water was so bad that we had to walk away after 10 minutes because our throats were burning.
Video journalist Nick Sortor reportedly got sick from the fumes while visiting the train derailment site.
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One class action lawsuit in the East Palestine aftermath claims residents may "already be undergoing DNA mutations."
UPDATE: Other Potentially Carcinogenic Chemicals Reported From East Palestine Train Derailment
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