ROMULUS (WWJ) – Protesters gathered Sunday to rally against toxic waste being sent to Michigan in the aftermath of the Ohio train derailment earlier this month.
Wayne County officials were surprised to learn late Friday that shipments of vinyl chloride had already arrived in the county from the site of the East Palestine disaster on Feb. 3, due to be disposed of underground at facilities in Romulus and Belleville.
While local and state officials say additional shipments have been halted for the time being, community members and the Conservative Coalition gathered Sunday in protest, making sure more vinyl chloride chemicals don’t enter the state.
Officials said Friday the trucks were carrying solutions of 99% water and 1% vinyl chloride.
Protesters on Sunday are particularly concerned about what could happen next.
“When it rains, we all flood. The water all comes up,” Wayne County Resident and vice-chair of the Wayne 12th congressional district, Stephanie Butler told WWJ’s Alexis Ware. “So are you telling me none of this stuff is gonna seep up through the soil and it’s not gonna come out of the ground grates and it’s not gonna spread?”
Some said bringing the hazardous chemicals to the state could be likened to the Flint Water Crisis, and Butler said pressure needs to be on the Whitmer administration and other officials to prevent it from becoming a disaster.
The derailment occurred just before 9 p.m. on Feb. 3, when an overheated wheel bearing caused the nearly 150-car train to decelerate before an automatic breaking system took effect. Around 50 cars derailed, 11 of which contained hazardous chemicals, including several carrying vinyl chloride, which is highly toxic.
In addition to the damage done at the actual derailment site, the spilling and burning off of toxic chemicals resulted in forced evacuations for local residents who now face valid health concerns from hazardous materials in the air, soil and groundwater.
Shipments of toxic waste will resume on Monday to two approved sites in Ohio, according to a report from the Associated Press.
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