Authorities successfully release toxic chemicals from derailed train in Ohio

Turning now to that fiery train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, officials announcing yesterday that they had successfully conducted what they're calling a controlled release of toxic chemicals, chemicals which could have caused an explosion if left unchecked. But there are still more dangers ahead and Roxanna Seberi joins us now from Columbia, Ohio, that is just a few miles west of where the train derailed. Roxanna, good morning. Good morning, Tony. This is where first responders and the National Guard have been gathering. There are no reports yet of injuries or deaths, but last night we smelled a strong odor in the air. And it's unclear how far the fumes have spread and how toxic they are.

A plume of smoke erupted into the skies surrounding East Palestine, Ohio, Monday afternoon. After authorities released toxic fumes from five derailed train cars to avoid what they warned what would have been an even greater threat. The railroad has a serious concern about an explosion with one or more of these cars. Earlier in the day, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine told CBS News that anyone refusing to leave the evacuation zone before the controlled release could also be at risk of inhaling the fumes. If you're within a close proximity, you very well could die. But five cars were carrying vinyl chloride, which is used to make a variety of plastics. It's a highly combustible chemical, linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.

So far, the federal EPA says it has, as expected, found some airborne contamination near the burn location, but did not give a measure for the amount or any effects. As for the water, officials previously said some runoff has been detected in surrounding streams, but that they're working to stem it, and there's been no impact on drinking water so far. You can just see a haze on the water that's nasty, and you can smell it. But local resident Russell Murphy says he's already seen hundreds of dead fish in a river, just miles from the derailment site, and is concerned about what could potentially come next. The health effects, the long-term environmental effects, the waterways. I mean, this is bad. But federal investigators say mechanical issues with a rail car axle appeared to have caused the derailment.

Governor DeWine told CBS News there's no timeline yet for when residents can go home. Gail. All right, Roxanna, thank you very much.

video, cbs, news, ohio, train derailment, east palestine, toxic chemicals, release, train, roxanna saberi