EcoWatch
Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    Home Health + Wellness

    CDC Investigators Asking East Palestine Residents About Their Health Suffered the Same Symptoms

    By: Olivia Rosane
    Updated: April 4, 2023
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    The site of the Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio
    The site of the Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. NTSB / Handout via Xinhua
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    In another sign that all is not right in East Palestine, Ohio, following February’s train derailment and release of toxic chemicals, members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) team sent to investigate the health impacts of the disaster themselves fell ill.

    The CDC confirmed to CNN on Thursday that seven members of a 15-person team making house visits near the site of the derailment reported symptoms including sore throats, headaches, coughing and nausea — the same symptoms that residents also say they experienced following the incident that released more than one million pounds of dangerous chemicals into the surrounding air, soil and water.

    More From EcoWatch
    • Ohio Solar Incentives
    • What Is Electricity Deregulation?
    • What Is the Public Utilities Commission?

    “It adds confirmation that the symptoms reported by East Palestine residents are real and are associated with environmental exposures from the derailment and chemical fire,” George Washington University School of Public Health professor and epidemiologist and head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from 2009 to 2017 David Michaels, who is not involved with the investigation, told CNN.

    Since the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train forced evacuations and released toxins including the carcinogenic plastic-production chemical vinyl chloride, East Palestine residents have complained of health problems. A survey released by the Ohio Department of Health March 3 found that 74 percent of respondents in the vicinity reported headaches, 64 percent reported anxiety, 61 percent reported coughing, 58 percent reported fatigue and 52 percent reported feelings of pain, burning or irritation, as WKYC reported at the time. In late February, QUICKmed Urgent Care staff in Columbiana, Ohio, told WKBN that they had seen multiple patients complaining of rashes, weakness and a burning feeling when breathing. These symptoms would often lessen when the patients left their homes and increase when they returned.

    “This could be a lot of things, but if you’re leaving your house and [symptoms] improve, and you go back and it comes back, I’m not thinking that’s allergies or not thinking it’s a cold,” Deb Weese of QUICKmed said at the time. “I think it’s related to that stuff you’re inhaling there.”

    The incident with the CDC employees occurred March 6, as CNN reported. Members of a team belonging to the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, who were going door to door asking residents near the derailment about their symptoms, began to experience symptoms themselves and told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety officer who was on site at the time. The officer advised the seven members of the team who were sick to return to their hotel room in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, that night. They also worked from their rooms the next day. 

    “Symptoms resolved for most team members later the same afternoon, and everyone resumed work on survey data collection within 24 hours. Impacted team members have not reported ongoing health effects,” a CDC spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. 

    The CDC incident followed another, similar occurrence in February in which two EPA contractors experienced symptoms after exposure to strong odors and told the site safety officer. The officer told them to remove themselves from the area for a moment, after which they felt better and continued to work the same day. 

    Questions continue to circulate about the derailment and the government and railway’s response. The EPA’s internal watchdog has launched an investigation into the agency’s handling of the situation after complaints from the community, especially after delay and confusion around testing for dioxins. The community has also brought a class action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern, and both the state of Ohio and the Department of Justice have filed complaints, as The Hill reported.

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Olivia Rosane

      Olivia Rosane is a freelance writer and reporter with a decade’s worth of experience. She has been contributing to EcoWatch daily since 2018 and has also covered environmental themes for Treehugger, The Trouble, YES! Magazine and Real Life. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and a master’s in Art and Politics from Goldsmiths, University of London.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      How a Trainload of Toxic Chemicals Derailed Everyday Life in Ohio
      By Joe Timmerman
      By Joe Timmerman
      How Our Obsession With Parking Fuels the Climate Crisis
      By Danielle Renwick
      By Nexus Media
      Global Heating Will Push Billions Outside 'Human Climate Niche,' Study Warns
      For hundreds, possibly thousands, of years humans have lived inside
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • How a Trainload of Toxic Chemicals Derailed Everyday Life in Ohio
          by Joe Timmerman
          May 25, 2023
        • U.S. States Agree on ‘Historic’ Water Sharing Deal to Prevent Colorado River From Drying Up
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 24, 2023
        • Landfill of Unused Fast Fashion Clothes Has Grown Large Enough to Be Seen From Space
          by Paige Bennett
          May 24, 2023
        • How Our Obsession With Parking Fuels the Climate Crisis
          by Nexus Media
          May 24, 2023
        • Global Heating Will Push Billions Outside ‘Human Climate Niche,’ Study Warns
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 23, 2023
        • U.S. and Canada Announce Joint EV Charging Network
          by Paige Bennett
          May 23, 2023
        • Supreme Court’s Ruling on Humane Treatment of Pigs Could Catalyze a Wave of New Animal Welfare Laws
          by The Conversation
          May 23, 2023
        • ‘Polluters Can No Longer Hide From Their Crimes’: Fossil Fuel Companies Owe $5.4 Trillion in Reparations, Study Says
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 22, 2023
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 573k
          Twitter 238k
          Instagram 37k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more