Ever 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 filled the air and coated surface water and soil with chemicals. Dead fish have floated in nearby streams and a disconcerting aroma has lingered in the air.
But for many commentators across the political spectrum, the speculation has gone far beyond the known facts. Right-wing commentators have been particularly critical, using the crisis to sow distrust of government agencies and suggesting that the damage could be irreparable.
On social media such as Twitter and Telegram, commentators have called the situation the “biggest environmental disaster in history” or simply “Chernobyl 2.0,” invoking the 1986 nuclear disaster. They warned, without evidence, that water reservoirs vitals serving downstream states could be severely contaminated. And they suggested that the authorities, the railway companies and the mainstream media were purposely hiding the full cost of the crisis.
“Planned attack, cover-up, or both?” asked the “Conservative Daily Podcast,” a show known for promoting far-right talking points.
Some of that speculation was echoed by mainstream outlets like Fox News, which suggested that the consequences could be catastrophic.
“You better get in at 9 am, Ohio, even if it means inhaling mustard gas on the way in,” a sarcastic Fox News host Jesse Watters said Tuesday, over a headline that read: “Ohio City Will It 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 February 3, a fire broke out and around 50 of the 150 carriages were derailed or damaged. Fearing an explosion, officials ordered nearby residents to evacuate before carrying out a controlled burn, which released a plume of toxic smoke for several hours that was visible for miles.
Since then, the EPA has saying air quality has returned to safe levels. The residents have been allowed to return. A chemical odor persists because people can smell contaminants even when they are well below dangerous concentrations, according to the agency. water test found “no indication of risk” to public water systems so far, the EPA said, although private wells should be tested. Utility companies that draw water from the Ohio River were taking precautions and at least one company saying he had detected no change 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 in assessing the long-term consequences, warning that airborne contaminants can settle on surfaces, seep into wells and migrate through cracks into basements and homes.
However, influencers and right-wing commentators were quick to draw their own conclusions, theorizing about the extent of the damage and the federal response, which they claimed amounted to an extensive cover-up.
“It’s really scary,” said Nick Sortor, a video journalist who has covered the situation, on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” the popular Fox News show. “To think that you can’t trust the federal government 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,” Carlson replied, “so I think they can’t be trusted.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who oversees the railways, has become a target of criticism from many conservatives. Carlson called Buttigieg “freakishly incompetent” and said his actions were indifferent “almost to the point of evil.”
Online, some non-scientists wrote elaborate analyzes of the toxic chemicals, speculating that the concentration of vinyl chloride in the air, one of the chemicals carried on the train, was dangerously high. They rejected the EPA’s assessment that the air was safe, concluding instead that the area surrounding eastern Palestine was severely polluted for miles.
“Keep in mind I’m not a chemist, but simply looking at what these compounds can do is worrying,” wrote a user on chat app Telegram in an analysis claiming the toxins would have been safer had they not been burned. At Wednesday’s town meeting, Trent R. Conaway, mayor of East Palestine, said: “There were two options: either we blow it up or it blows itself up. There was no third.
Local media reports described various environmental consequences of the controlled burning, including that some fish were found dead in nearby streams and that some domestic animals became ill. An EPA representative told the town meeting that the chemicals were deadly to fish, not humans, and that waterways were already repopulating with fish.
But those reports were quickly merged with much more serious, unconfirmed reports of environmental damage extending well beyond the burn site.
“Dead fish and cattle are reported up to 100 miles from the site,” Stew Peters, a right-wing commentator, wrote on Twitter, offering no evidence. The tweet received more than 40 million views.
The belief in a cover-up has gained traction in the days since, as Internet users used the hashtag #OhioChernobyl to claim that national and local media were ignoring the disaster, even though all major news networks and several local news organizations they dedicated 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 press conference and charged with trespassing and resisting arrest. The charges were later dropped.
“How do you hit a reporter with ‘trespassing’?” asked Chris Cuomo, the former CNN anchor, who hosts a show on NewsNation. I’ll tell you how. This is when the people in power don’t want you around.”
