East Palestine, Ohio — A chemical plume that spewed into the Ohio River following a fiery train derailment has broken up and is no longer a concern, Ohio's governor said Friday. Residents near the disaster site, however, have expressed concern about lingering headaches and irritated eyes.

Despite repeated assurances that air and water testing has revealed no contaminants, some residents in East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, remain sceptical and fearful of returning to their homes.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced plans to open a medical clinic in the village early next week to evaluate those who are concerned and analyze their symptoms. A team of chemical exposure experts will be deployed to eastern Ohio to staff the clinic.

"These are very legitimate questions, and residents deserve an answer," DeWine said, emphasizing that testing inside and outside of homes in the village revealed no evidence of toxins from the train.

"We're doing everything we can to reassure residents about the situation," he said. "I recognize that people have been traumatized. "I understand why people are sceptical."

Nick Patrone, who lives four miles outside of the village, believes there is an irritant in the air.

"You can sense it," he said. "A lot of my friends' children have unexplained rashes all over their bodies. They've got sore throats, congestion, and ear irritation."

Hundreds of people attended a public meeting earlier this week to express their concerns and get answers from not only state and local officials, but also railroad operator Norfolk Southern. However, railroad representatives were not present because they were concerned about physical threats.

DeWine was irritated by the absence and stated that Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw should travel to East Palestine to answer questions.

At least five lawsuits have been filed against the railroad, and lawyers have been appearing in the area to provide legal advice and options.

The freight train carrying a variety of hazardous chemicals derailed two weeks ago, but the stench of what was spilt hasn't gone away. Residents have complained about their cars being covered in soot, their homes being filled with overpowering odours, and their pets becoming ill or dying as a result of the disaster.


The chemicals also leaked into nearby creeks, killing thousands of fish, and a small amount made its way into the Ohio River.

While environmental officials stated that the contaminant levels in the river were low enough that they did not pose a threat, cities in Ohio and West Virginia that rely on the river for drinking water had been monitoring a slow-moving plume and a few had temporarily switched to alternative water sources.

According to water samples taken on Friday, the plume is now completely gone, according to DeWine.

The governor also stated that air testing inside 500 homes has not revealed any dangerous levels in the village since residents were allowed to return following the controlled release and burning of five tanker cars containing vinyl chloride, which has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers.

The derailment, according to DeWine, has been traumatic for the village of just under 5,000 people. "No one is trying to downplay anything," he said.

The extensive testing of air and water that has been in place for the past two weeks, according to Ohio Health Department Director Bruce Vanderhoff, should be reassuring.

"From the beginning, we were guided by people who are national experts on what to test for," he said.