Editor's note: On February 3, a freight train run by Norfolk Southern Corporation, carrying at least five toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, derailed in the Ohio small town of East Palestine. How does the toxic chemical leakage affect locals' life? Is the government liable for the incident? Why are trains derailing more than usual in the U.S.? CGTN collaborated with American journalist Bradley Blankenship to conduct an interview with Melodie Imberg, living along the Ohio River in Kentucky and shared her opinions on the topic. The views expressed in the video are her own and not necessarily those of CGTN. 

CGTN Opinions: After the train derailment incident, does the toxic chemical leakage affect your daily life such as the drinking water supply? 

Melodie Imberg: This isn't the first derailment this year. So far, we've had almost a dozen train derailments around the country but this one is definitely the most devastating. The fact that we've had almost a dozen and it's only February says a lot.

The Northern Kentucky Water District authority sent out a letter to the general public about finding a contaminant in one of the water reservoirs so they're shutting that down preemptively.

It's caused a lot of anxiety, mostly because at this point crops and food from this area are going to be still sent out. A lot of my friends are buying bottled water in bulk.

In the far future, I definitely can see a rise in cancer, like lung diseases. I worry about whether my son is going to end up with cancer, asthma or getting caught in acid rain without an umbrella.

There's been a lot of reports of household pets having to be euthanized for respiratory problems. A lot of wildlife is being found dead.

CGTN: According to outlets like Vox, the train derailment and chemical spill was the culmination of a long trend of cost-cutting in the rail industry. Do you think that the government is liable for the incident?

Imberg: Absolutely. It was a collaboration of both Republicans and Democrats with Donald Trump rolling back safety precautions, and Joe Biden pushing through the railroad strikes, saying we need the railroad tracks because this is the backbone of how we get everything in this country.

If Biden really did feel that way, he would have focused more on paying the railroad workers better, giving them a safe work environment.

The fact that money was the only issue for both sides of the aisle has put the rest of America, the actual American citizens, at danger.

CGTN: Two weeks after the incident, it seems many of the problems still remain unsolved. What is the reason for this?

Imberg: A lot of it is the lack of urgency from the government. Norfolk Southern gave $25,000 to the residents, which is ridiculous because there're about 5,000 families in that area so that's $5 for each family, which is kind of disrespectful in my eyes.

This is a pattern I've seen in past catastrophes, especially when it comes to the environment. The government will do half the job. It's up to volunteers from the areas to put their own life at risk. 

CGTN: Does the bipartisanship in Washington affect the decision-making and problem-solving processes?

Imberg: Definitely, because whenever something terrible like this happens in America, the government, instead of trying to find true solutions, a lot of the time just tries to find where to place the blame.

You'll have the Republicans saying it's the Dems' fault because they're in charge right now. The president is Blue. Then you have the Democrats saying this is the Republicans' fault because you guys don't care enough.

Can we just stop with the arguing and think about this as if you guys are average American citizens? Because at the end of the day it doesn't matter if those people living in that area are Red or Blue.

They're still an American citizen. They still need to be taken care of. But they're not being taken care of because of the constant "This is your fault. This is your fault."

Script editors: Lu Xiaoyi, Feng Ran

Video editor: Zhou Muyuan

Executive producers: Bi Jianlu, Zhang Peijin, Wang Xinyan

Chief editors: Li Shou'en, Wang Ying

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