Welcome to the Toxic Trains website.
Please bear with us as we upload our new site over the next few days.
For the Victims,
Eight tips on how to survive the Hot Zone.
 |
|||||
|
 |
||||
A message to victims of toxic train
derailments and chemical disasters:
Many communities have suffered some of the same experiences that you are living through now. You will find that your best resource will be people who have lived and learned their way through a chemical disaster. The April 11th, 1996, train derailment in western Montana released 133 tons of toxic chemicals into the air, water, and soil. This is what we learned:
1. Consult a physician immediately. Very few doctors have the expertise to accurately diagnose a chemical exposure, so request a written referral to consult an experienced environmental medicine physician.
2.
Documentation is required. Formally request that all public documents pertaining to the derailment and chemicals spilled be immediately archived in the community for easy citizen access.
3. You have the right to know. (Established in 1986, by
EPCRA, Community Right-To-Know law.) Be sure to request all photographs, videos, news coverage, and maps.
4. Information is power. Do your homework. Experts will always disagree, but citizens must make choices in the best interests of their families. Learn everything you can about the chemicals you and your family were exposed to.
5. Put everything in writing and maintain your credibility. Follow up all conversations with experts and officials with a letter and ask them to respond to you in writing. Use facts, and don’t make comments you can’t back-up with documentation.
6. Don’t let anyone pressure you into signing anything. Take your time. Learn what your states statutes of limitations are for filing a claim, and use that time to make an informed decision.
7. Be persistent! You are protecting your family’s health, property, and quality of life. You have to know what to expect in the future. Ask, ask, and ask again!
8. Stay together as a community. You may not always agree with your neighbor but you still need to give support and encouragement. What would happen to our great country if we didn’t stay together?
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||