(NewsNation) — Two years after a toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, left many with lingering health problems. A new vital report has revealed the government may have intentionally avoided addressing those concerns. Residents are now suing the CDC, alleging the agency told healthcare providers not to treat them.
Jess Connard, a former East Palestine resident, shared that she and others know the entire system meant to protect them is contaminated.
“The CDC told us that there was nothing they could do about our chemical exposures, and that’s exactly what happened, nothing,” Connard said. “And in the same breath, they told us that our cancers would be treatable.”
Connard was one of several to relocate their families with regards to health concerns, but she dealt with the effects of the chemicals in a similar fashion to other residents.
“You’ll go to the doctor and they don’t attach it back to the derailment,” added Connard. “They’re not epidemiologists. They’re not meant to do that. They’re meant to treat our symptoms.”
FEMA is also catching heat along with the CDC now from Connard and her former neighbors because, after the event, they were ordered to provide an unmet needs assessment. The assessment would have brought forth additional medical resources.
“You’ve got our current Vice President, J.D. Vance, in his current capacity as Ohio Senator, urged former President Biden to declare a public emergency,” Connard said. “Why not now? We know that the contamination is still present and ongoing.”
Connard hopes that under President Trump’s administration, the resources needed in East Palestine will finally be supplied.