In East Palestine, ‘something you’ve never smelt before’ lingers in the air

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (NewsNation) —  Nearly eight months after a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, residents continue to exhibit ailments and symptoms of vinyl chloride exposure from the toxic chemicals that had to be burned off after the derailment.

For Shelby Walker, the toxic mess is way too close to home.

She had derailed train cars in her backyard, and today, she has health issues and many concerns for herself and her family.

“I wish my house would have caught fire, and I would have lost everything,” Walker said during an interview with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.

Walker said she would leave if someone would buy her home.

“I’m still paying a mortgage. Who’s going to buy my house? It’s sitting right here in this whole contaminated pile. I am now on an inhaler that I’ve never had to have before. I have a hard time breathing. Some days are worse than others. … I’m gasping for air at times,” she said.

She described a “sweet chemical smell” that permeates through the town.

“Something you’ve never smelt before,” she said.

Other East Palestine residents, Lori and Wayne O’Connell, told Cuomo they’re dealing with illnesses and a rare cancer since the train derailment.

“We’ve lived in our home for 25 years, and we have never been as sick as we have since Feb. 3 of this year,” Lori said.

It’s the same for Laurie Harmon, who lives three blocks away from the site of derailment. She said she has been suffering from neurological issues and chemical burns since the incident.

Like other residents, she is frustrated that specialists she has gone to have been unable to identify the source of her ailments.

“I have no answers. I plead for the medical community, the CDC, any health care agency that knows anything … to show me where to go,” Harmon said.

The 47-year-old cares for six foster children and wants to remain in the community she loves deeply.

“This will not beat me,” she said. “I will go to my grave to find answers.”