CDC workers became ill while assessing Ohio train derailment, chemical fire

Seven employees with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention became ill in March while tasked with assessing the health impacts of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and subsequent chemical fire, the CDC confirmed to CNN.

On February 3, 11 train cars carrying more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals derailed, spilling the chemicals into the soil, air, and nearby creeks.

A team of 15 CDC investigators was responsible for conducting house-to-house surveys in the area near the derailment. The employees asked residents where they were after the chemical spill and whether they or their pets had experienced any symptoms.

During the course of the investigation, seven of the 15 workers reported symptoms including sore throats, headaches, coughing, and nausea to the agency’s safety officers.

On March 6, workers who had fallen ill were asked to return to their hotel for the remainder of the day and work remotely the following day. After their symptoms subsided, they returned to East Palestine to continue conducting door-to-door surveys.

According to the CDC, “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.”

It has not been confirmed that their illness resulted from chemical exposure or fatigue from working 18-hour days. Government officials maintain that the air and drinking water around the area of the derailment is not hazardous. However, locals have reported several symptoms, including headaches, sore throats, nasal congestion, bloody noses, skin rashes, coughing, and eye irritation.

The Ohio Assessment of Chemical Exposure survey found that more than half of the 514 residents had reported symptoms. Approximately 74% of residents reported experiencing headaches, and 61% reported experiencing anxiety.

An official familiar with the situation told CNN that some of the workers on the team are officers and physicians in the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, and they found it suspicious that they all became ill at the same time and with the same symptoms.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, noted that the cases were not reported to the public because the employees’ symptoms cleared up soon after they left the area.

David Michaels, an epidemiologist and professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health, told CNN, “It adds confirmation that the symptoms reported by East Palestine residents are real and are associated with environmental exposures from the derailment and chemical fire.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!