There is more evidence that the water in East Palestine, Ohio, is unhealthy. Ben Bergquam made a personal observation of the water in the area that is being labeled as ‘safe’ and told War Room host Steve Bannon that the smell that comes out of the ground, when it is agitated, smells like the ‘sweet smell of death, like when dissecting a pig”.
Berguam was referring to the smell of formaldehyde, which, according to the cancer gov, is a colorless, strong-smelling, flammable chemical produced industrially and used in building materials such as particleboard, plywood, and other pressed-wood products.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen. In 2011, the National Toxicology Program, an interagency program of the Department of Health and Human Services, named formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen in its 12th Report on Carcinogens.
A carcinogen, according to the same website, is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes.
Carcinogenesis, also called oncogenesis or tumorigenesis, is the formation of a cancer, whereby normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. The process is characterized by changes at the cellular, genetic, and epigenetic levels and abnormal cell division.
So it is easy to see why people are worried in the area, and will be until they understand better what the exact chemicals are- that were spilled into their water, and ignited into their air.
Bergquam also pointed out the government’s safety measures were to put hay bundles in the water, which he said reminded him of the masks the government forced people to wear- which did absolutely nothing to help anyone.
Bannon said that the safety measures the government was taking to make it look like they cared- was a performance.
Watch:
The Left's Performance Art of "Keeping us Safe" https://t.co/emcpQDlvtr
— Kari Donovan (@Saorsa1776) February 28, 2023
Bergquam’s report about how far he traveled out of town to test the water, seeing problems over 13 miles away, is confined by a Time report which indicates the same research was discovered by people who were pulling products off the shelf that contained water from 25 miles away from the train derailment and toxic explosion in East Palestine, almost one month ago.
Three weeks after the Norfolk Southern train derailment and subsequent toxic chemical spill and fire in East Palestine, Ohio, a major grocery chain is pulling water that was bottled 25 miles from the crash site off of store shelves, according to Time, who added:
Giant Eagle, which operates hundreds of stores in five states, including Ohio, withdrew its spring water which comes from Salineville, Ohio, out of an “abundance of caution,” the company said in a Feb. 21 statement.
Giant Eagle’s move is the latest indication that the East Palestine spill is causing concerns far from the village of 4,700 people. Among the chemicals involved in the derailment was vinyl chloride, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies as a carcinogen.
The grocery store chain noted that a third-party lab has been testing the facility’s water sources and bottled water samples. It did not find evidence that the water had been contaminated as a result of the Feb. 3 incident. But the company added that it would take the product off store shelves until further testing.
“As we continue to receive these assurances from our Salineville water vendor, we also recognize that regional and national health officials continue to send resources to East Palestine to learn as much as possible about the potential impact to the health of the community,” the grocery chain said. The water in these products comes from a protected spring which is located at a higher elevation than East Palestine, and therefore far from affected groundwater sources, it added.
Experts say that it’s highly unlikely that water so far away from the site of the accident would be contaminated, especially so quickly. “I see that as sort of an irrational fear of the unknown,” says Murray McBride, an expert on soil contamination and emeritus professor at Cornell University.
James Connors, a licensed geoscientist and expert in groundwater contamination who has testified as an expert witness in dozens of court cases, notes that it’s unlikely for contamination in groundwater to travel 25 miles. He is familiar with cases in which contamination may travel up to six miles but notes those are usually the result of decades-long problems.
While acknowledging that the risk of contamination to Giant Eagle’s bottled water is very low, he says the company’s decision to pull the product until further information is commendable.
“They say it’s out of an abundance of caution. I would say that’s an accurate statement—and good for them; it’s not every company that takes profit off the table and does a more thorough evaluation,” Connors says.
The Environmental Protection Agency has said that East Palestine’s air and drinking water is safe and that it will continue monitoring the effects of the toxic train derailment. However, some local residents have reported symptoms of dizziness, headaches, and rashes, resulting in concern that contamination is not being adequately measured.
In an effort to maintain calm, local, state, and federal officials have taken part in photo ops drinking water to assure residents it is safe. However, experts note that drinking one glass of contaminated water may not have the same effect as consuming it every day.
Although McBride believes the spring water from Salineville is safe, there is certainly a chance that local wells within a mile or so of the spill site may be affected. He says they will require regular water testing.
“We’re really just at the very beginning of that very long and very standard process,” Connors says. Until samples can be collected over a longer time range, “it’s very hard to come up with any reliable science-based conclusions about what the broader environmental impact is.”
Another complication: As a result of firefighters dousing the fires from the derailment, a lot of water has been introduced into the New Palestine environment. “That usually spreads the problem,” Connors says. “So what we do know is that there is a very high probability of groundwater contamination that will be significant, and probably will take years to clean up.”
Some of the toxic chemicals could move beyond the one-mile radius from the spill site over several years, and they could contaminate drinking water, as well as water used for farm animals, McBride says.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s better to be overcautious than under cautious.