Ukuhamba kwesitimela sase-Ohio kubangela ukwesaba phakathi kwezakhamuzi zasedolobheni elincane mayelana nezinto ezinobuthi

Ukonakala kwezitimela zase-Ohio ezithwele i-vinyl chloride kuphakamisa ukungcola kanye nokukhathazeka kwezempilo

Ezinsukwini eziyishumi nambili ngemva kokuba isitimela esithwele amakhemikhali anobuthi siphumile emzileni edolobheni elincane lase-Ohio e-East Palestine, izakhamuzi ezikhathazekile zisafuna izimpendulo.

"Kuyamangaza kakhulu njengamanje," kusho uJames Figley, ohlala endaweni eqhele ngebanga lesigameko. "Idolobha lonke liyaphithizela."

U-Figley oneminyaka engu-63 ubudala ungumklami wezithombe. Ngobusuku bango-February 3, wayehlezi kusofa lapho kungazelelwe ezwa umsindo wensimbi omubi nonamandla. Yena nomkakhe bangena emotweni beyobheka futhi bathola isigameko esisabekayo..

"Kube khona uchungechunge lokuqhuma okuqhubekayo futhi iphunga liya ngokuya lihlasimulisa," kusho uFigley.

"Wake washisa upulasitiki egcekeni lakho futhi (kwakukhona) intuthu emnyama? Yilokho," esho. "Kwakumnyama, kumnyama bhuqe. Wawubona ukuthi yiphunga lamakhemikhali. Kushise amehlo. Uma ubhekene nomoya, kungaba kubi kakhulu."

Lesi sigameko sisuse umlilo oshiye abantu abahlala ezindaweni ezikude.

Kushunqa intuthu esitimeleni sezimpahla esiphumile emzileni esithwele amakhemikhali ayingozi e-East Palestine, e-Ohio.

Ezinsukwini kamuva, kwaqhamuka intuthu enobuthi edolobheni njengoba izikhulu zizama ukushisisa ikhemikhali eyingozi ebizwa ngokuthi i-vinyl chloride ngaphambi kokuba iqhume.

Ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ezalandela, kwavela izinhlanzi ezifile emfudlaneni. Izikhulu kamuva zaqinisekisa ukuthi inani lalifinyelela ezinkulungwaneni. Izakhamuzi ezingomakhelwane zitshele abezindaba zendawo ukuthi izinkukhu zazo zafa ngokuzumayo, izimpungushe zethukile nezinye izilwane ezifuywayo zagula. Izakhamuzi zikhala ngokuphathwa yikhanda, ukuvutha kwamehlo nomphimbo obuhlungu.

UHulumeni wase-Ohio uMike DeWine uthe ngoLwesithathu nakuba umoya wedolobha uphephile, izakhamuzi eziseduze kwendawo okuchitheke kuyo ubuthi kufanele ziphuze amanzi asemabhodleleni njengezinyathelo zokuphepha. Izikhulu zikahulumeni nezombuso zathembisa izakhamuzi ukuthi zisusa inhlabathi engcolile esizeni nokuthi izinga lomoya kanye namanzi kamasipala manje selibuyele kwesejwayelekile.

Umehluko omkhulu phakathi kwalokho ezinye izakhamuzi ezisitshela khona kanye nezethembiso izikhulu ezisaqhubeka nokuzikhipha sekuholele esiphithiphithini nokwesaba empumalanga yePalestine. Khonamanjalo, ochwepheshe bezemvelo nezempilo baphakamise imibuzo mayelana nokuthi isiza siphephe ngempela yini. Abanye abasebenzisa izinkundla zokuxhumana bathe yize izikhulu zikahulumeni bezihlalele zibika ngalesi simo futhi zizwakalise intukuthelo ngenkampani yezitimela, izikhulu bezingazitsheli izakhamuzi iqiniso.

Abanye abantu bendawo bakwamukele ukwenganyelwa okwengeziwe. “Kuningi esingakwazi,” kusho uFigley.

Izikhulu zase-US zilinganisela ukuthi izinhlanzi ezingu-3,500 zezinhlobo ezingu-12 ezihlukene zafa emifuleni eseduze ngenxa yokuguguleka komzila..

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Izikhulu zinikeze eminye imininingwane mayelana nokuphuma emzileni wangomhla zi-3 kuNhlolanja wesitimela saseNorfolk Southern endleleni eya ePennsylvania.

UDeWine uthe esithangamini sabezindaba ngoLwesibili isitimela sinezimoto ezibalelwa ku-150, kanti ezingu-50 kuzo ziphume emzileni. Ezingaba ngu-10 zazo zaziqukethe izinto ezingaba ubuthi.

INational Transportation Safety Board ibingakasitholi isizathu esiqondile sokuguguleka komzila, kodwa uMnyango uthe kungenzeka ukuthi ihlobene nenkinga yemishini kwenye yama-asi.

Izinto ezithwalwa izitimela zihlanganisa i-vinyl chloride, igesi engenambala neyingozi esetshenziswa ekwenzeni ipulasitiki ye-PVC nemikhiqizo ye-vinyl.

I-vinyl chloride nayo iyi-carcinogen. Ukuchayeka okunamandla kumakhemikhali kungabangela isiyezi, ukozela kanye nekhanda elibuhlungu, kuyilapho ukuchayeka isikhathi eside kungabangela ukulimala kwesibindi kanye nohlobo olungavamile lomdlavuza wesibindi.

Ngo-February 6, ngemva kokuphuma endaweni eseduze, izikhulu zashisa okulawulwayo kwe-vinyl chloride. UDeWine uthe ochwepheshe befederal, state kanye nojantshi baphethe ngokuthi kuphephe kakhulu kunokuvumela izinto ziqhume futhi zithumele imfucumfucu indize idolobha lonke, akubiza ngokuthi ububi obubili obuncane.

Ukusha okulawulwayo kukhiqize intuthu ye-apocalyptic empumalanga yePalestine. Lezi zithombe bezisabalale ezinkundleni zokuxhumana, abafundi abaningi abebethukile beziqhathanisa nefilimu yenhlekelele.

Ezinsukwini kamuva, uHulumeni uDeWine, uGov. Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro kanye noNorfolk Southern bamemezele ukuthi ukuqhuma kube yimpumelelo futhi izakhamuzi zivunyelwe ukubuya uma izikhulu zikubona kuphephile.

"Kithina, ngesikhathi bethi sekuxazululiwe, sanquma ukuthi sibuye," kusho isakhamuzi sase-East Palestine uJohn Myers, ohlala nomndeni wakhe endlini eseduze nendawo edayiwe.

Uthe akazange abe nemiphumela emibi. “Umoya unuka njengaso sonke isikhathi,” esho.

NgoLwesibili, i-US Environmental Protection Agency ithe ibingakatholi amazinga abalulekile ezinto eziyingozi emoyeni. Umnyango uthe usuhlole amakhaya acela ku-400 kuze kube manje futhi awekho amakhemikhali atholakele, kodwa usaqhubeka nokuhlola imizi eminingi endaweni kanye nokuhlola izinga lomoya.

Ngemuva kwengozi, i-US Environmental Protection Agency ithole imikhondo yamakhemikhali kumasampula amanzi aseduze, okuhlanganisa nomfula i-Ohio. Lesi sikhungo sithe amanzi angcolile angenile emiseleni yeziphepho. Izikhulu zase-Ohio zathi zizohlola amanzi ezakhamizi noma zimba imithombo emisha uma kudingeka.

NgoLwesithathu, i-Ohio Environmental Protection Agency iqinisekise izakhamizi ukuthi imithombo esendaweni yamanzi ihlolwe ukuthi ayinawo amakhemikhali avela lapho kudilika khona futhi amanzi kamasipala aphephile ukuthi angaphuzwa.

Ukungathembi nokungabaza kakhulu

Izakhamizi bezikhathazekile ngomthelela amakhemikhali anobuthi angaba nawo empilweni yazo. (Esithombeni lapha isithombe sophawu olungaphandle kwebhizinisi eMpumalanga Palestine olufundeka kanje "Thandazela i-East Palestine nekusasa lethu.")

Kwabanye, izithombe ezishaqisayo zentuthu enobuthi zazibonakala zingqubuzana nokuthuthela kweziphathimandla kwakamuva okucace bha empumalanga yePalestine.

Abasebenzisi bemithombo yezokuxhumana ku-Twitter naku-TikTok ikakhulukazi bebelandela imibiko yezilwane ezilimele kanye nezithombe zokushiswa kwe-vinyl chloride. Bafuna izimpendulo ezengeziwe ezikhulwini.

Ngemuva kokuthi abantu befake ama-video ezinhlanzi ezifile ezinkundleni zokuxhumana, izikhulu zivumile ukuthi lesi sigameko senzeka ngempela. UMnyango wezeMvelo wase-Ohio uthe cishe izinhlanzi ezingu-3,500 zezinhlobo ezingu-12 ezihlukene zafa endaweni ecishe ibe ngamamayela angu-7.5 eningizimu ye-East Palestine.

Kodwa-ke, izikhulu zithe azikayitholi imibiko yokulimala noma ukusha kwamakhemikhali okubangela ukufa kwemfuyo noma ezinye izilwane zasemhlabeni.

Esikhathini esingaphezu kwesonto kushiswe amakhemikhali, izakhamuzi zakule ndawo zikhala ngokuphathwa yikhanda nesicanucanu, ngokusho kweThe Washington Post, The New Republic kanye nabezindaba zendawo.

Ongoti bezemvelo batshele iBBC ukuthi bakhathazekile ngesinqumo sikahulumeni sokuvumela abantu ukuthi babuyele empumalanga yePalestine ngemuva nje kwengozi kanye nokusha okulawulwayo.

 "Ngokusobala abalawuli bezifundazwe nabendawo banikeza abantu ukukhanya okuluhlaza ukuthi bagoduke ngokushesha," kusho uDavid Masur, umqondisi omkhulu wePenn Environment Research & Policy Center.

“Kudala ukungathembani nokungabaza emphakathini ngokwethembeka kwalezi zikhungo, kuyinkinga lokho,” usho kanje.

Ngaphezu kwe-vinyl chloride, ezinye izinto eziningana ezitimeleni zingakha izakhi eziyingozi lapho zishiswa, njengama-dioxin, kusho uPeter DeCarlo, uprofesa waseJohns Hopkins University ofunda ngokungcoliswa komoya.

"Njengosokhemisi wasemkhathini, lokhu kuyinto engifuna ngempela ukuyigwema." Wengeze ngokuthi unethemba lokuthi umnyango ovikela imvelo uzokhipha imininingwane enemininingwane ngekhwalithi yomoya.

Izakhamizi zase-East Palestine zifake okungenani amacala amane e-Norfolk Southern Railroad, zithi zichayeke entweni enobuthi futhi zabhekana "nokucindezeleka okukhulu ngokomzwelo" ngenxa yokungahambi kahle.

"Amakhasimende ethu amaningi acabanga ngempela ... mhlawumbe ukusuka endaweni," kusho uHunter Miller. Ungummeli omele izakhamuzi zase-East Palestine ecaleni elibhekene nenkampani yezitimela.

"Lena kufanele kube yindawo yabo ephephile nendawo yabo ejabulisayo, ikhaya labo," kusho uMiller. "Manje babona sengathi ikhaya labo selingenisiwe futhi abasenaso isiqiniseko sokuthi liyindawo ephephile."

NgoLwesibili, intatheli ibuze uDeWine ukuthi naye angazizwa ephephile yini uma ebuyela ekhaya uma ehlala eMpumalanga Palestine.

"Ngizohlale ngiqaphile futhi ngikhathazeke," kusho uDeWine. "Kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi ngingahle ngibuyele endlini yami."