Claim: Thousands of animals are dying as a results of the train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.

Question

Claim: Thousands of wild, farmed, or companion animals have reportedly fallen ill or died following the train derailment disaster in East Palestine, Ohio. 

Source: https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/ohio-east-palestine-train-derailment-animals-ill-die/

Answer 1

WKBN, the local news station covering East Palestine, Ohio, and the train derailment has come out with multiple stories of different individuals experiencing their farm animals or pets dying as well as seeing dead fish in their waterways. However, the exact number of animals affected by these chemicals is unknown, therefore it could be more or less than thousands.

https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/east-palestine-train-derailment/north-lima-woman-finds-chickens-dead-tuesday-questions-chemical-release-from-train/

https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/east-palestine-train-derailment/health-concerns-mounting-as-animals-become-sick-after-train-derailment/

https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/east-palestine-train-derailment/indoor-pet-dies-vet-says-could-be-due-to-chemical-exposure/

Answer 2

The director of Ohio's Department of Natural Resources, Mary Metz, said that as of February 14th, it is estimated that 3,500 fish have died in local waterways. She said that the fish are susceptible to poor water quality. The majority of the aquatic creatures died within the first few days of the derailment. However, Metz says "we don't have any evidence of non-aquatic species suffering from the derailment. Not only here but we also communicate with the Pennsylvania game commission as well, and they haven't heard about that either." Some residents have mentioned their pets suffering from unexpected diseases following the derailment, however, it is unknown if it is a direct effect of the derailment. 

Rating: Misleading

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-dead-fish-vinyl-chloride-hazardous-materials-affecting-pets-wildlife/

Answer 3

2. As the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz stated 3500 fish are affected by the spill. Metz has also stated that Wildlife officials are monitoring an endangered giant salamander called hellbender for any effects caused by the spill. As of now, there have been no reports of any dead hellbenders. The Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldrige said after consulting with veterinarians that there has not been any cause for concern for livestock. While other state officials said there has been no evidence collected that species other than fish are suffering from the chemical spill. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/02/15/ohio-train-derailment-toxic-chemicals/  

Comments

Going forward, don't forget to add your own personal explanation and thoughts on the claim rather than paste an excerpt from a source (which is great, but needs some explaining and context!).

Answer 4

This claim is True. Following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, there have been thousands of wildlife fatalities. Exact numbers are being calculated by officials. Estimates from the Ohio Emergency Management Agency state, "So, again – we have the sample number of collected species, and we have to use a calculation to determine the total estimated number. This new calculation estimates that a total of 38,222 minnows were potentially killed as a result of the derailment. It is estimated that a total of around 5,500 other species – again, things like small fish, crayfish, amphibians and macroinvertebrates, were also potentially killed as a result of the derailment." The extent of the damage to ecosystems and wildlife are still undetermined. 

Source: https://ema.ohio.gov/media-publications/news/update-east-palestine-train-derailment-impact-wildlife-odnr