The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has completed its preliminary report as to what caused the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
The train was carrying chemicals that caused a toxic spill and created an ecological disaster that has until now, been totally ignored by the federal government and national media. For example, it took 3 weeks and a lot of public pressure to get Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to leave his husband and travel to Ohio.
Chickens and fish have died, people have sore throats and rashes, while government officials are claiming that it's okay to drink the water. Rep. J.D. Vance (R-OH) dared them to drink it themselves, but so far they've passed on the offer. Now the EPA has changed their tune and warn residents to avoid well water.
The cause of the derailment, according to the
NTSB on Thursday, was an overheated wheel bearing. And while we can't directly blame Pete Buttigieg for the disaster [who blames former President Donald Trump], we can at least point out how little involvement he was willing to take as Transportation Secretary, and his arrogant avoidance of answering questions by media that's willing to challenge him over his not handling the situation.
“NTSB investigators have identified and examined the rail car that initiated the derailment. Surveillance video from a residence showed what appears to be a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment,” investigators said.
“The wheelset from the suspected railcar has been collected as evidence for metallurgical examination. The suspected overheated wheel bearing has been collected and will be examined by engineers from the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C.”
The wheel bearing suspected of overheating rose from a temperature of “38°F above ambient temperature” to a temperature of “103°F above ambient” as it passed three monitors designed to alert crews of such conditions.
The train's crew was notified by an automated system to stop the locomotive and inspect the car with the overheated bearing. It did so but it was too late as the train left the tracks before it could be stopped and the vinyl chloride spilled all over the area.
“After the train stopped, the crew observed fire and smoke and notified the Cleveland East dispatcher of a possible derailment,” the NTSB said. “Responders arrived at the derailment site and began response efforts.”
Efforts to put out fires failed over the following two days, and a decision was made to start a controlled burn of the vinyl chloride, causing a toxic mushroom cloud and an ill wind that did nobody any good.
“On February 5, responders mitigated the fire, but five derailed DOT-105 specification tank cars … carrying 115,580 gallons of vinyl chloride continued to concern authorities because the temperature inside one tank car was still rising,” the report stated.
“This increase in temperature suggested that the vinyl chloride was undergoing a polymerization reaction, which could pose an explosion hazard,” the NTSB stated. “Responders scheduled a controlled venting of the five vinyl chloride tank cars to release and burn the vinyl chloride, expanded the evacuation zone to a 1-mile by 2-mile area, and dug ditches to contain released vinyl chloride liquid while it vaporized and burned.”
And on February 23, fully twenty days after the tragedy, Pete Buttigieg, a possible Democratic presidential hopeful for the future, finally got off his butt and visited the area.
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