By Mary Ann Greier

Special to The Times

LISBON — The Ohio Department of Health will establish a medical assessment clinic in East Palestine sometime next week where residents concerned about their health in the wake of the Feb. 3 train derailment can go for help.

Gov. Mike DeWine made the announcement during a press conference in Columbus streamed live on the Ohio Channel Friday.

DeWine said this is not based on air sampling or water sampling, because the testing has shown the water is safe to drink on the village water system and the air is clean, but he also knows the last two weeks have taken a tremendous toll on residents.

“We know that the science says that East Palestine is safe, but we also know that residents are very worried. They are asking themselves ‘is my headache just a headache? Or is it a result of the chemical spill? Are other medical symptoms caused by the spill?’ Those are very legitimate questions and residents serve answers,” DeWine said.

“We want to make sure that they have a central place to go,” he said.

The hours and the location of the clinic will be posted on the website at ema.ohio.gov/East Palestine. The clinic will be opened with support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with DeWine saying they asked for medical experts to come to East Palestine.

These experts will be able to answer questions, evaluate symptoms and provide their medical expertise, he said, adding the people on the ground will have access to the best experts in the world regarding chemical exposures.

ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff noted that extensive testing of the air and the municipal water system in East Palestine has been very reassuring, adding they have not found elevated levels of the volatile organic compounds to lead them to suspect there’s any risk to the air or water. He said he spoke to people and they continue to have concerns, some even after seeing their family physician.

Regarding the medical assessment clinic, in partnership with local medical partners such as the Columbiana County Health District, he said they’ll also be working with the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry who will be able to provide area medical providers with information on how to address their patients’ concerns.

Lori Criss, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Director, also spoke about mental health services available, telling people they can call 211 to learn about local providers or call the Ohio Care Line at 1-800-720-9616 for free 24/7 confidential counseling.

“Traumatic events like this cause stress, anxiety and worry,” Criss said.

People react differently to stress, so people should pay attention to loved ones and watch out for signs, such as increased use of drugs or alcohol, difficulty concentrating, or changes in everyday behavior.

She said local providers have been involved since day one of the disaster and are there for the long haul.

DeWine touched on several other aspects of the East Palestine rail disaster, including the fact that the village does not qualify for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. To make sure the village can receive assistance from FEMA if the disaster qualifies for aid in the future, though, DeWine said he was sending a preemptive filing to FEMA to preserve those rights. He said the state has been in contact with FEMA officials every day.

“We believe the railroad should continue to pay and we’re going to insist that they pay,” he said.

DeWine said the state attorney general would be looking into the situation also. Regarding the fact that the train was not designated as high hazardous, he said that’s something the U.S. Congress needs to address. He said the time is now to look at rail safety and the products being carried on trains and the law needs changed regarding notification to the state and local governments. The train that derailed had passed through multiple communities in the county and was in Ohio for a considerable time and a video from Salem showed something was going wrong then.

When asked about animals dying or getting sick, DeWine said the state veterinarian attended the recent town hall meeting. Vanderhoff said people should take their animals to their veterinarian and the veterinarian will know how to contact the state regarding a necropsy to determine cause of death. The Division of Animal Health, Ohio Department of Agriculture can be contacted also at 614-728-6220. Vanderhoff also mentioned the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

“We want that information. We want to know if that’s a problem,” DeWine said.

He also gave updates regarding air monitoring, residential well sampling, the plume in the Ohio River and the contamination of Sulphur Run. To date, the air sampled from 500 homes contained no contaminants of concern from the rail disaster. He also said that although 75 homes showed elevated levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), further testing showed the contaminants of concern were not found in these homes. He said the air monitoring will continue, including from the 20 air monitors strategically placed all over the village which he said are coming back clean.

For the water, he said the five wells that supply the village’s drinking water came back clean. If someone lives in the village and uses the village’s water system, they don’t have to drink bottled water. If someone is on a personal well, he said they should drink bottled water until their well is tested and the results are known. He said the results of testing on private wells remain pending. People can call 330-849-3919 to request the air monitoring in their home or to get their water well tested.

“Sampling has shown that the plume has completely dissipated,” DeWine said regarding the chemical plume of butyl acrylate in the Ohio River. He said it was never thought to be a threat and now can’t be detected at all. The level of concern for the contaminant is 560 parts per billion. The readings on Thursday were 3 parts per billion.

Sulphur Run, the waterway that goes through the village, remains very contaminated and will be remediated. He talked about the dam put in place and the pumping of clean water. He said the cleanup will take some time, but warned people to stay away from it.

A press release the governor’s office issued said that to date, 8,350 cubic yards of contaminate soil had been removed from the area of derailment. A total of 1.1 million gallons of contaminants and contaminated liquid have been removed from the site. In both cases, the material has been stockpiled for proper disposal.

When asked about Norfolk Southern putting replacement tracks over the contaminated soil, he said the state will ensure everything is cleaned up, whether it’s under the tracks or by the tracks or wherever, “it’s going away.”

mgreier@mojonews.com