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In a twist of irony, the CDC has confirmed that 7 members of a 15-person team from the CDC and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) fell ill while investigating the potential health effects of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio last month.
According to a March 31 statement provided to The Epoch Times, CDC spokesman Belsie Gonzalez indicated that the illnesses occurred on March 6, when members of the team reported symptoms including, a sore throat, nausea, coughing, and headache.
The team members' symptoms were consistent with symptoms being reported by some East Palestine residents and first responders - the very people the CDC sent the team to survey and assess the potential health effects caused by their exposure to the toxic chemicals spilled during the February 3 train derailment and subsequent explosion.
"Following protocol, team members reported the symptoms to federal safety officers," Gonzalez said.
"Symptoms resolved for most team members later the same afternoon, and everyone resumed work on survey data collection within 24 hours. Impacted team members have not reported ongoing health effects," the statement continued.
Gonzalez also noted that the survey collection process, which began in mid-February, ended on March 31.
"Once completed, CDC/ATSDR staff will analyze the data and provide it to state health officials in Ohio and Pennsylvania. FEMA and EPA teams remain on the ground to support response efforts," Gonzalez concluded.
It should be noted that the government team fell ill after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against train operator, Norfolk Southern, on March 31, in an effort to hold the railroad company accountable for "unlawfully polluting the nation's waterways," by means of the train derailment.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said via a statement, "When a Norfolk Southern train derailed last month in East Palestine, Ohio, it released toxins into the air, soil, and water, endangering the health and safety of people in surrounding communities."
"With this complaint, the Justice Department and the EPA are acting to pursue justice for the residents of East Palestine and ensure that Norfolk Southern carries the financial burden for the harm it has caused and continues to inflict on the community," the statement added.
It is interesting that the DOJ places blame for the derailment and following explosion and chemical spill squarely on the train operator's shoulders, when government officials were the ones who decided to burn the toxic chemicals, rather than having them removed from the derailed cars. Furthermore, the government initially refused to deploy a FEMA team to the area stating that the spill did not meet FEMA requirements for assistance, and left Norfolk Southern to clean up the derailment before sending in the EPA to halt the cleanup, citing concerns about the facilities the company was sending contaminated soil and water to.
It should also be noted that Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg would not visit East Palestine until after former president Donald Trump went to the site to meet with concerned residents.
Again, where are the climate change-crazed Democrats? Anywhere but East Palestine, it appears.
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