Brown returns to East Palestine to hears concerns
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EAST PALESTINE -- Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Oh) was in East Palestine at the 1820 Candle Company, located at 135 N. Market St., on Monday afternoon to hear concerns of residents.
Melissa Smith and her daughter and business partner Sidney hosted the event.
Many of the questions centered around dioxin, soil and plant sampling and health concerns such as medical testing.
Smith said she believes the event was a success as she was able to bring up topics that were of concern to many residents and felt that Brown really listened to what they had to say. She said she was pleased when he said he would discuss the issues with the people he needed to discuss them with.
She also said she felt it was a good discussion with a representative from Soil and Water Conservation about agricultural people needing some direction and they are going to work on that.
Smith spoke with Brown about a family member and some friends who are experiencing side effect issues and have been to doctors who have told them they can't do anything for them and can't see them because they don't know what to do with it.
She said she believes someone needs to help direct the medical community because no one is getting answers from their medical people or physicians because they don't have the answers to give.
Oda Sponsel said she has been calling her doctor's office to get an order to have blood and urine tests done on the different toxins and chemicals that were released during the derailment and is being told they can't do the test without CPT Codes and that no lab can test for vinyl chloride.
She questioned how the people of East Palestine can feel safe if they can't be tested.
Brown responded that he doesn't know what a CPT code is.
"I think the problem, is from what I hear from them, is doctors, because they have never seen anything like this, don't know how to do all these tests and that is something we are trying to work on," Brown said. "I think it's probably the codes. I'm sorry I don't know what CPT is, but it's probably the code the doctors don't know how to look for because they have never had to test for this before."
Sponsel said her doctor's office told her until she gets the codes there is nothing they can do for her and no work orders for test can be written.
When she said she wanted East Palestine residents to feel safe, Brown responded, "I do to."
Sponsel said she doesn't believe she got any of the answers she was seeking on Monday and doesn't feel like she is being heard.
Dioxins were also discussed. Residents were questioning what is going on with that and why they aren't getting quick answers.
They were told it was too soon and they can't adequately test for that just yet, but it is going to be tested for. It takes a certain amount of time for it to be traced and at this point it's not able to be traced in the soil.
Smith also told Brown that it was going to have to be plant tissue sampling at a lab as the soil might not give a full picture.
Aaron Bragg, who owns property that falls about 500 feet away from the derailment scene, said he came to the meeting with the senator to voice concerns for residents on soil and well testing.
Through United for East Palestine, Bragg said he was able to get Purdue University to come to the area with some of their grad students to do well testing pro bono. About 15 well samples were collected on Sunday.
"The residents are calling the numbers and not getting the response back," Bragg said. "The residents are extremely afraid not knowing whether they can drink their water or not, and with Dr. Welton and his team hopefully we are going to be able to know that."
Bragg alleged that well samples that were done by Norfolk Southern were done incorrectly and not independent.
"I got an opportunity to mention this to Jonathan McCracken, Ohio State Director, USDA Rural Development, who Brown has spoken with, and he is coming up with a coordinated response for this because it's so disjointed right now," Bragg said.
Brown wrapped up his visit by telling the audience that he was leaving immediately following the event to fly to Washington D.C. to do his job, but that he wasn't leaving the community until it is made whole and companies like Smith's are totally back on their feet.