At least 43,000 animals have died after the environmental disaster of a train derailment in Ohio

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirms what many feared: The environmental impact of a train derailment in the town of Palestine, Ohio just three weeks ago claimed the lives of at least 43,000 animals.

Wildlife officers have been scouring the area since the derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals at Norfolk South station. From the first moment, thousands of dead fish began to be seen in the area, and the relationship between the deaths and the dumping of these chemicals is believed to be direct.

The official figure given by the authorities is 38,222 dead small fish and some 5,550 other species including other types of fish, crayfish and amphibians. All of these fatalities occurred within an eight kilometer radius of the derailment site.

At a press conference held yesterday Thursday, the authorities discussed the impact on wildlife of the derailment and the chemical combustion of vinyl chloride to avoid a possible explosion. But while much has been said about vinyl chloride, the reality is that at least four other chemicals have been identified as having leaked into the soil, air and water of Palestine, Ohio, after the derailment: butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and isobutylene.

But apart from the official wildlife impact report, complaints abound in the area. The law firm Murray and Murray has already filed lawsuit against Norforlk South alleging animals are dying within a 32 kilometer radius as a result of chemicals spilled during the derailmentand not 8 kilometers as reported by the authorities.

Authorities insist they have no evidence so far that there has been an impact on wildlife on land, although common sense would indicate that with mass fish kills it would be the next logical step. No one has yet been able to say how long it will take for the area to be cleared.

Needless to say the water is not safe for humans either. Officials investigating the mass fish kills enter the water with isolation kits. Nobody excludes that the figures change over the days.

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