May 14, 2023
S6 E3: Greed and Avarice: The Story of Chemical Spills and Wildlife
For hundreds of years, man has been the greatest destroyer of the planet. As the highest being on the food chain, our impact on the environment is the greatest contributor to the loss of species worldwide. Breeding grounds are being destroyed and...
For hundreds of years, man has been the greatest destroyer of the planet. As the highest being on the food chain, our impact on the environment is the greatest contributor to the loss of species worldwide. Breeding grounds are being destroyed and access to resources is diminishing due to industrial and residential development, logging, crop farming, livestock grazing, mining, road and dam building and pesticide use. All of this in the name of progress. This topic is one that really hits me where I live. Nothing angers me more than a chemical spill that kills countless animals and has long lasting effects on their habitats. I’m going to talk about three instances where greed, human error and indifference caused permanent damage to huge swaths of land and ocean. I’m going to talk about the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Chernobyl nuclear incident and the Palestine, Ohio train derailment. These aren’t the only three chemical spills that have ruined countless miles of habitat and cost thousands of animals their lives, but these are hallmarks of what can happen when companies and their employees cut corners and refuse to follow the rules. Contact me at the website: www.causeofdeath100secs.net Check it out, leave a review, leave me a voicemail or an email. Look at the blog posts. Join my mailing list. There are so many ways to interact with me on that site that there’s no excuse not to! I also have a dedicated email for Cause of Death, you can reach me at jackie@causeofdeath100secs.net. Link Tree: https://www.linktr.ee.com/CauseofDeathpod Greed and Avarice: The Story of Chemical Spills and Wildlife Show Notes: https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/nwep16b.htm https://www.alleycat.org/resources/humans-the-number-one-threat-to-wildlife/ https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals/special_issues/Species_conservation https://www.onekindplanet.org/man-made-disasters-animals/ https://bsed.org.in/effect-of-man-made-hazard-on-wildlife-and-aquatic-life/ https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/historical-achievements/animals-in-disasters https://www.animal-ethics.org/animals-natural-disasters/ https://earth.org/ohio-trail-derailment/ https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2023/03/ohio-train-derailment-health-impacts-air-pollution/ https://www.pennfuture.org/Blog-Item-2023-East-Palestine-Ohio-Train-Disaster
WEBVTT
1
00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:06.240
Hello. I'm Ashley from Fuck That, a true crime podcast, and I
2
00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:10.160
want to share with you the details
of a case I've recently covered. Chad
3
00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:15.359
Zachary Hower was a prominent Microsoft employee
living overseas, and he seemingly had a
4
00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:19.920
promising future ahead of him. He
had full custody of his son, Alex,
5
00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:24.160
whom he had during a previous marriage
with his ex wife, Nancy Oberlander.
6
00:00:24.839 --> 00:00:30.160
He was remarried, planning on extending
his family, and for all intents
7
00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:34.920
and purposes, Chad was on top
of the world, but his ex wife,
8
00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:39.960
Nancy did not intend to let him
off that easily. Nancy fled Tennessee,
9
00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:45.240
the states that had jurisdiction over their
son Alex's custodial arrangement, moving to
10
00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:52.200
Pennsylvania without notifying the courts or Chad. This was the first of many deliberate
11
00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:56.719
moves Nancy made to prevent Chad from
his inherent right to see his son.
12
00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:02.679
Once Chad was granted custody in two
thousand five and Alex was removed from Nancy's
13
00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:07.400
home by Venego County Sheriffs in Pennsylvania, he felt relieved at the thought of
14
00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:11.920
his son finally being able to establish
roots, but Chad's troubles were just beginning.
15
00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:18.120
Pennsylvania, a state where Alex lived
for only a few months, in
16
00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:23.519
violation of Tennessee's custodial agreement, took
emergency jurisdiction over the case, creating a
17
00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:29.920
domino effect that would forever change not
only Alex's life, but Chad's life.
18
00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:34.760
Forever joined me as I delve into
the custodio battle that ultimately led to Chad
19
00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:42.920
Howard becoming the TikTok fugitive wanted by
the FBI for international kidnapping, ultimately leading
20
00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:47.760
to an interpoll red notice. This
case delves into the corruption at not only
21
00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:53.079
the state level, but the federal
level as well, uncovering lies and corruption
22
00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:57.760
from the FBI, National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children and United States Assistant
23
00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:04.000
Attorneys all well, Chad fights for
his independence and his life overseas. You
24
00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:07.360
can listen to Chad Hower The TikTok
Fugitive Parts one through three wherever you listen
25
00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:15.360
to podcasts? Are you tired of
speculative, sensational, poorly researched, and
26
00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:20.840
disrespectful true crime podcasts? Me too? Hi? I'm Eric Carter Londean and
27
00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:24.639
I'm here to introduce you to True
Consequences Podcast, an advocacy focus show that
28
00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:29.759
sets itself apart from the rest you
see. True Consequences is a love letter
29
00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:32.759
from my baby brother, Jacob Londean, who was murdered nearly four decades ago,
30
00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:38.280
and he still needs justice. What
sets my show apart is the deep
31
00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:40.840
dive research I do, the first
person accounts I bring to light, and
32
00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:45.719
the empathetic lens through which I approach
each case. I know what it's like
33
00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:47.840
to fight for justice for a loved
one, and I'm committed to helping other
34
00:02:47.879 --> 00:02:53.719
families seeking justice. You can listen
to True Consequences wherever you get your favorite
35
00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:58.639
podcast. Join me Eric Carter Londean
on this journey to uncover the truth and
36
00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:04.000
advocate for justice. Together we can
make a difference. Don't settle for sensationalism.
37
00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:08.719
Choose True Consequences podcast for advocacy focused
true crime. Subscribe now and be
38
00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:14.199
part of the movement for justice.
Darkcast Network, come on over to the
39
00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:16.680
dark Side. We're really nice people
once you get past the true crime and
40
00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:28.919
scary science. Hello, and welcome
to Cause of Death one hundred seconds to
41
00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:35.319
midnight. I'm your host, Jackie
Moranti. For hundreds of years, man
42
00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:39.360
has been the greatest destroyer of the
planet. As the highest being on the
43
00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:44.759
food chain, our impact on the
environment is the greatest contributor to the loss
44
00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:51.680
of species worldwide. Breeding grounds are
being destroyed and access to resources is diminishing
45
00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:57.800
due to industrial and residential development,
logging, crop farming, livestock grazing,
46
00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:02.520
mining, road and dam building,
and pesticide use. All of this is
47
00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:09.000
in the name of progress. Today, I'm going to talk about what happens
48
00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:14.319
when progress gets out of hand and
there is a man made disaster. What
49
00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:18.319
effects to these disasters have on ecosystems
and the wild life that depend on those
50
00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:25.639
habitats to survive. It's ninety seconds
to midnight, and the struggle to live
51
00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:29.839
in a place that should be their
own is becoming more and more desperate for
52
00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:34.240
the animals that have to adapt when
their habitats are destroyed through human error and
53
00:04:34.439 --> 00:04:44.040
carelessness. This is a topic that
really hits me where I live. Nothing
54
00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:49.040
angers me more than a chemical spill
that kills countless animals and has long lasting
55
00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:55.399
effects on their habitats. I'm going
to talk about three instances where greed,
56
00:04:55.720 --> 00:05:01.319
human error, and indifference caused permanent
damage to huge swaths of land and ocean.
57
00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:09.160
I'm going to talk about the Exxon
Valdez oil spill, the Chernobyl nuclear
58
00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:15.199
incident, and the train derailment in
East Palestine, Ohio. These aren't the
59
00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:20.040
only chemical spills that have ruined countless
miles of habitat and cost thousands of animals
60
00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:26.079
their lives. But these are hallmarks
of what can happen when companies and their
61
00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:51.720
employees cut corners and refuse to follow
the rules. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
62
00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:59.160
was in disrepair and routine maintenance was
not being done on the facility. Employees
63
00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.680
were not trained well, and the
Soviet government was not willing to put a
64
00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:08.120
lot of money into the plant.
On April twenty sixth, nineteen eighty six,
65
00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:14.680
reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear
Power Plant exploded during a mandatory safety
66
00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:21.959
test. This incident released large amounts
of radioactive material into the atmosphere. Shortly
67
00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:27.680
thereafter, an unexpected power surge led
to a break in another one of the
68
00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:33.600
reactors. This caused air to reach
the graphite moderator. The entire reactor went
69
00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:41.560
up in flames. This resulted in
a radioactive jet emission of iodine one thirty
70
00:06:41.560 --> 00:06:46.399
one, closely followed by caesium one
thirty seven and caesium one thirty four.
71
00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:56.680
Non Volatile strontium isotopes like strontium ninety
and transuranic elements such as plutonium and americum
72
00:06:56.680 --> 00:07:03.120
were also released. The nonvolatile substances
were mainly deposited in the immediate vicinity of
73
00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:12.959
the power plant in Ukraine and Belarus, The highly volatile iodine and caesium reached
74
00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:16.720
heights of over one kilometer as a
result of thermal uplift caused by the high
75
00:07:16.759 --> 00:07:23.879
temperatures of the burning graphite in the
reactor. This gave rise to these elements
76
00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:30.319
traveling across the Northern Hemisphere and into
Europe. The prevailing winds at the beginning
77
00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:38.879
of the release transported radionuclides over Poland
towards Scandinavia. A second radioactive cloud moved
78
00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:45.920
over Slovakia, the Czech Republic and
Austria towards Germany. The third cloud reached
79
00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:53.959
Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. These chemicals were released into the atmosphere
80
00:07:54.040 --> 00:07:59.519
over a period of ten days before
the reactor could be contained. The effects
81
00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:03.319
of this disaster will be felt in
the affected areas for hundreds of years to
82
00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:11.480
come. The amount of radioactive material
released to the western edge of Russia in
83
00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:16.079
Central Europe was one hundred times more
than the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima
84
00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:24.240
and Nagasaki combined. Higher contamination rates
were found in regions where it rained as
85
00:08:24.279 --> 00:08:30.920
the radioactive clouds passed over. As
the rain washed the radionuclides out of the
86
00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:35.519
air, they settled in the ground. The intensity of the rain dictated how
87
00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:43.480
severely each area was contaminated. The
effect of the Chernobyl disaster on wildlife is
88
00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:48.159
a topic that's hotly debated among researchers
to this day. There are so many
89
00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:54.080
variables that exist, it's hard to
tell what impact radionuclides had on the environment
90
00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:58.559
and how much is still ongoing.
It's unknown how many animals died in the
91
00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:03.919
immediate fallout. An area known as
the Red Forest was observed to have been
92
00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:11.240
hit the hardest. There. The
detrimental effects included mass mortality of pine trees,
93
00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:18.080
reduced pine seed production, reductions in
soil invertebrates, and mass death of
94
00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:24.000
small mammals. Today, some researchers
tout the Chernobyl exclusion zone as a wildlife
95
00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:31.279
paradise devoid of people. They claim
that several species have thrived in the seas
96
00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:35.960
and continue to do well. Other
researchers claim that the wildlife living in the
97
00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:43.200
SEEZ are subject to genetic mutations and
have far shorter lifespans than animals who live
98
00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:50.440
outside of the SEZ. Radioactive dose
rates in the CEZ remain high enough that
99
00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:56.080
we would expect adverse effects on wildlife
living inside of the zone. Immediately after
100
00:09:56.120 --> 00:10:01.440
that accident, detrimental effects on wildlife
were observed as far away as Germany,
101
00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:07.639
and for many years after, mutations
were observed in several species living inside of
102
00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:15.600
the zone. So what makes this
so complicated? Several factors are involved in
103
00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:20.000
studying the radiation levels inside of the
c Z, one of which is the
104
00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:28.840
way that radiation is determined in the
field. Researchers use handheld doscimeters to measure
105
00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:35.120
radiation in field studies. This is
not a totally accurate way to measure radiation
106
00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:41.320
in the environment. Measurement height varies
and units may not be applicable to wildlife.
107
00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:46.759
Seabirds are used to measure radiation in
people, but the docimeters that are
108
00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:52.360
in use often use graze as a
measurement. The measurements between the two can
109
00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:56.039
vary about fifteen percent, and that's
a lot when you're trying to get an
110
00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:01.320
accurate dose measurement for a study.
Then, to top it off, there's
111
00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:09.399
no way of knowing how much radiation
existed before the accident. Remember that radioactive
112
00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:15.120
rain that fell all along the fallout
zone. Remember me saying that there were
113
00:11:15.159 --> 00:11:18.759
areas that got more rain than others. It was the same inside of the
114
00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:24.320
c e z. Anywhere the rain
fell harder or it rained more, there
115
00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:31.159
was more radiation on the ground.
What this means is that dosemitar readings can
116
00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:35.519
be taken in various places within one
hundred square meters, and those readings may
117
00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:41.919
vary by several orders of magnitude.
It all depends on the ten days of
118
00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:50.000
radioactive weather that occurred right after the
explosion. When considering the effects on wildlife,
119
00:11:50.039 --> 00:11:54.679
their home range needs to be examined. Also. While mice, rats,
120
00:11:54.759 --> 00:12:00.519
and other small mammals have relatively small
ranges, larger animals like wolves,
121
00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:05.120
bears, and horses have much bigger
home ranges, so they travel in and
122
00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:11.399
out of the cez to find food
and water. This would have an effect
123
00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:18.000
on their survival. Smaller animals may
have higher radiation levels than larger ones that
124
00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:24.440
are traveling out of the CEZ.
Since the CEZ has a variety of radionuclides
125
00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:28.679
present, to really get a handle
on the dose rates, one would have
126
00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:35.879
to consider all contributors. Most studies
focus on radio caesium and strontium ninety,
127
00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:41.799
but when we consider caesium one thirty
seven, strontium ninety, americum two forty
128
00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:48.440
one, and plutonium isotopes and focus
on the internal dose rates in the organisms
129
00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:52.240
of interest. In this case,
it was the vole. Strontium ninety is
130
00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:58.919
the major contributor in most but in
other organisms, caesium one thirty seven contributed
131
00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:05.279
similarly or even more than strontium.
The contribution of americus two forty one and
132
00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:13.120
plutonium is typically less than ten percent. In earthworms, the contribution of americus
133
00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:18.480
two forty one and plutonium is forty
percent of the whole. In bats,
134
00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:24.840
strontium ninety contributed ninety percent of the
dose rate, Caesium one thirty seven contributed
135
00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:31.559
about three percent, and plutonium isotopes
contributed less than one percent. Several species
136
00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.879
have been studied over the years since
the accident, and those studies will continue
137
00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:43.360
until answers to the mysteries are found. There are a ton of questions to
138
00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:48.440
be answered. Researchers are asking whether
or not the mutations that the animals have
139
00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:52.840
experienced have helped them live in a
radioactive environment for all these years. Have
140
00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:58.879
the animals in the Cez just adapted
to radiation? Have they become immune to
141
00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:05.320
it? Has there been some genetic
change in the animals over the course of
142
00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:11.720
generations that has contributed to their immunity. If we found the answers to these
143
00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:18.000
questions, could that lead to a
cure for cancer? Before we leave the
144
00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:22.879
Ukraine and go to Alaska, I
want to leave you with two more thoughts.
145
00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:28.360
Many researchers believe that the lack of
human presence in the seas is the
146
00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:35.200
reason that the wildlife in the Sez
thrives. There are no people there to
147
00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:39.919
reak havoc on the habitats that they've
seemingly adjusted to. It will be more
148
00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:46.279
than one hundred years before the levels
of radiation subside to a habitable range in
149
00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:54.159
the Cez, but somehow the wildlife
has persevered. I'll keep my eye out
150
00:14:54.159 --> 00:15:00.159
for more research and let you know
what happens as studies continue in the zone.
151
00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:03.879
My last thought on this takes us
to Germany, where high levels of
152
00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:09.200
caesium one thirty seven are still present
in the forests that were affected by radioactive
153
00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:15.240
rains. It's known that caesium one
thirty seven will cling to the soil,
154
00:15:15.559 --> 00:15:20.519
and often it will be absorbed by
the roots of plants. Forty years later,
155
00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:26.039
the older trees are holding on to
the caesium that they absorbed as saplings.
156
00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:31.159
Remember in the beginning of this story, I told you that reactor number
157
00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:37.240
four melted down during a safety test. This plant had been suffering from lack
158
00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:43.440
of oversight for years. It was
one of the biggest nuclear reactors in the
159
00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:48.759
world at the time, and it
was being run poorly. Routine maintenance was
160
00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:54.440
often overlooked, safety checks were not
performed regularly. There was a lack of
161
00:15:54.519 --> 00:16:02.360
oversight by any government entity. Employees
weren't trained properly. The list goes on
162
00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:07.480
and on. If there had been
proper management of the facility, this might
163
00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:15.200
have been avoided. But instead,
the largest nuclear disaster to date occurred at
164
00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:22.600
this plant, and the effects are
still being felt today. We're going to
165
00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:26.440
take a little break to hear from
our sponsors, and then we'll be back.
166
00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:52.799
Oil companies seem to enjoy the freedom
to run their businesses in any way
167
00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:59.200
they please. After all, the
US runs on fossil fuel, and politics
168
00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:03.599
play a large role in the way
that oil companies run their businesses. Oil
169
00:17:03.640 --> 00:17:10.200
companies and railroads are largely funded by
the US government, even though their private
170
00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:18.039
businesses. Both of these businesses enjoy
the right of eminent domain. The difference
171
00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:22.599
between the two is that oil companies
are regulated by the EPA, but railroads
172
00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:30.079
govern themselves. More than seventy oil
spills are reported in the United States on
173
00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:36.000
any given day. It would seem
that oil companies would rather pay the fines
174
00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:41.359
for polluting the planet than put money
into prevention. Poor oversight, mismanagement,
175
00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:47.880
and a drunken captain were all contributors
to the Exxon Valdi's oil spill that killed
176
00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:53.400
thousands of marine animals off the coast
of Alaska's Prince Williams Sound in nineteen eighty
177
00:17:53.480 --> 00:18:00.319
nine. This was the largest oil
spill in history before the Deep Water Horizon
178
00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:07.680
spill in two thousand and ten.
The Exon Valdis struck Bly Reef at four
179
00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:14.279
minutes after midnight on March twenty fourth, nineteen eighty nine, dumping eleven million
180
00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:21.400
gallons of Prudehoe Bay crude oil into
the ocean. The Exon Valdez was carrying
181
00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:27.480
a total of fifty three million gallons
of crude bly Reef is a well known
182
00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:33.799
navigational hazard in Prince William Sound,
but the captain, Joseph Hazelwood, had
183
00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:40.680
been drinking and he allowed an unlicensed
third mate to steer the ship. The
184
00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:45.440
Exon Valdi's oil spill would leave hundreds
of thousands of sea animals dead in its
185
00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:52.240
wake and would ruin the pristine waters
of Prince William's Sound forever. Thirteen hundred
186
00:18:52.279 --> 00:19:00.319
miles of coastline were virtually destroyed after
the single whole ship ran aground in nineteen
187
00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:04.400
eighty nine. There were very few
response mechanisms in place, and entire ecosystems
188
00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:14.359
were destroyed. Oil spills contaminate everything
they touch algae, plants, invertebrates,
189
00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:19.480
fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. These plants and animals
190
00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:27.680
are virtually smothered by oil. They
experience hydrocarbon toxicity, hypothermia, and long
191
00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:36.599
term effects. Animals that live close
to the surface or come to the surface
192
00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:41.279
to feed. Are often the most
affected by oil spills. Whales, dolphins,
193
00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:45.440
turtles, birds, seals, and
otters are a few of the animals
194
00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:53.079
that most often die immediately after a
spill. These animals become covered in sticky
195
00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:59.559
oil, and since their fur and
feathers regulate their body temperature, the oil
196
00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:07.279
prev this regulation and they die from
hypothermia. The oil can also make their
197
00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:11.160
fur or feathers retain water. This
makes the animal heavy and it loses its
198
00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:17.839
buoyancy, causing it to drown.
Birds love to preen themselves, and if
199
00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:22.599
the oil is stuck to their feathers, the birds will ingest it. This
200
00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:30.119
causes severe organ and neurological damage.
The oil sticks to everything it encounters,
201
00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:33.400
and plants that are food supplies for
many marine animals become affected. For the
202
00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:40.319
long term, animals will often suffer
from malnutritions since they won't eat the contaminated
203
00:20:40.359 --> 00:20:47.599
plants. Those that do will often
be poisoned. Future generations suffer since poisoning
204
00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:52.240
will often cause birth defects in mammalian
populations, but the contamination will also cause
205
00:20:52.400 --> 00:21:00.279
thin shells in the eggs of amphibian
and bird populations. Unfortunately, the only
206
00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:03.039
way to save the animals is to
clean the oil off of them, and
207
00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:10.119
many times that's not possible. In
nineteen eighty nine, there were no emergency
208
00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:15.119
response plans in place, and the
animals died. For months After the spill,
209
00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:22.160
XON employees, federal responders, and
more than eleven thousand Alaska residents worked
210
00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:26.519
to clean up the spill. These
people, many of whom were volunteers,
211
00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:33.440
worked around the clock to skim oil
from the water surface and spray oil dispersing
212
00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:37.440
chemicals into the water and on shore, and wash oiled beaches with hot water.
213
00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:42.119
They also rescued and cleaned as many
animals that have been trapped in the
214
00:21:42.119 --> 00:21:48.279
oil as they could. Exon paid
about two billion in cleanup costs and one
215
00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:56.160
point eight billion for habitat restoration and
personal damages caused by the spill. The
216
00:21:56.240 --> 00:22:00.480
Exon Valdi's spill was the first of
its kind in the world at the time,
217
00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:07.039
but environmentalists knew that it wouldn't be
the last. They purposefully left large
218
00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:11.039
swaths of shoreline untreated so that they
could study the effects of clean up measures
219
00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:15.599
and find out how long it would
take for that area to recover. On
220
00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:22.960
its own. One of these areas
was Mern's Rock. Conservation scientists have returned
221
00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:27.039
to the area every year since the
spill to study animal and plants that live
222
00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:33.319
there. They found that life returned
to relative normalcy in the area about four
223
00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:41.079
years after the spill after essentially powerwashing
the shoreline with hot water to get rid
224
00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:45.119
of the oil. They found that
this method killed the remaining plants and animals
225
00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:52.440
on shore, so it caused more
damage than it reversed. The spill was
226
00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:57.559
responsible for killing roughly two hundred and
fifty thousand seabirds, three thousand otters,
227
00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:04.000
three hundreds eels, two hundred and
fifty bald eagles, and twenty two killer
228
00:23:04.119 --> 00:23:10.759
whales. About forty percent of the
sea otters living in the Sound were killed
229
00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:15.400
in the spill. The population didn't
fully recover for twenty five years after the
230
00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:22.839
spill. In nineteen ninety, the
salmon and herring populations collapsed, as did
231
00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:30.119
the fisheries in Prince William's Sound.
The economic impact on towns like Valdez and
232
00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:36.720
Cordova was devastating and it took several
years for the economy to recover. The
233
00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:41.640
salmon population has declined as much as
twenty percent since and has never rebounded.
234
00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:48.240
It's hard to say whether the oil
spill is directly responsible for the declining salmon
235
00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:53.720
population, but the coincidence of a
permanent decline just a year after a major
236
00:23:53.759 --> 00:24:02.839
oil spill is a compelling coincidence.
Nineteen ninety, George HW Bush signed the
237
00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:08.240
Oil Pollution Act into law. The
Xon Valdes oil spill prompted the government to
238
00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:15.319
increase penalties for companies responsible for oil
spills, and it also required that oil
239
00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:21.960
tankers in the US have a double
hull. Had the Exon Valds been built
240
00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:26.680
with a double hole, the damage
that the ship sustained may have been minimal,
241
00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:33.119
and most of the oil may have
been contained on board. This disaster
242
00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:38.559
also taught conservationists and first responders how
to deal with massive oil spills. By
243
00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:45.119
the time that the Deepwater Horizon came
along, much better disaster response measures were
244
00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:52.200
in place. The Exon Valdis continued
to sail throughout the world, moving from
245
00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:56.920
one country to another until virtually the
entire world banned oil tankers with single holes.
246
00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:03.359
She carried or for a while off
the coast of China, but was
247
00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:10.119
decommissioned after running aground again in twenty
twelve. In March of nineteen ninety,
248
00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:15.279
Joseph Hazelwood was acquitted of felony charges
related to the oil spill. He was
249
00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:22.839
convicted of a single charge of misdemeanor
negligence find fifty thousand dollars in order to
250
00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:29.880
perform one thousand hours of community service. Exxon remains one of the largest and
251
00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:37.480
richest oil companies in the world.
Today, pockets of crude oil remain in
252
00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:42.839
some locations of Prince William's Sound,
and while the environment has compensated, the
253
00:25:44.000 --> 00:26:08.839
area will never be the pristine wilderness
it was before the spill. Railroads have
254
00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:14.440
been the favored sons of the US
government for over two hundred years. The
255
00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:19.279
contribution of the railroad to settling the
nation and westward expansion has earned the railroad
256
00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:26.680
VIP status across the country. Railroads
are privately owned businesses. As I mentioned
257
00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:32.799
before, railroads and oil companies are
the only two privately owned businesses able to
258
00:26:32.839 --> 00:26:38.799
execute eminent domain and condemnation. Their
status with the government, and I kind
259
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:45.240
of like to say that they're incahoots
allows railroad companies to remain tax exempt.
260
00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:55.799
Let that sink in a second,
Railroads govern themselves, They have their own
261
00:26:55.839 --> 00:27:02.000
oversight boards, and they police themselves. This gives rise to more than seventeen
262
00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:07.759
hundred and four train derailments per year
in the US. That breaks down to
263
00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:15.559
roughly five a day. The Federal
Railroad Administration only investigates about a hundred accidents
264
00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:23.799
per year. This includes derailments,
collisions, and other incidents. Most of
265
00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:30.599
these derailments are caused by poor maintenance
to either tracks or the train cars themselves.
266
00:27:30.519 --> 00:27:36.039
No one is watching, and any
attempt by the federal government to intervene
267
00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:41.279
is answered with scoffs from the railroad
associations. In the monopoly game of life,
268
00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:48.400
it's better to own a railroad than
the Trump Towers. Let's go to
269
00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:53.240
East Palestine, Ohio and find out
what can happen when poor maintenance and a
270
00:27:53.359 --> 00:28:00.119
lack of oversight is in place.
What happens when a train derails. On
271
00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:06.359
February third, twenty twenty three,
operators of a Norfolk Southern train carrying at
272
00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:11.440
least six different hazardous chemicals were alerted
that a wheel bearing on the twenty third
273
00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:18.480
car was overheating. They had tried
to stop the train and the train was
274
00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:22.759
coming to a stop when it derailed
near the town of East Palestine, dumping
275
00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:26.079
vinyl chloride onto the ground, into
the water, and into the air.
276
00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:37.720
Fifty cars derailed and twenty of those
cars were carrying hazardous materials. For several
277
00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:41.480
days after, aquatic life continued to
die as the chemical spill took its toll
278
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:47.559
on the land. At the time, a low estimate was that three thousand,
279
00:28:47.720 --> 00:28:52.319
five hundred fish were killed. The
number of aquatic animals effected was raised
280
00:28:52.359 --> 00:29:00.319
to forty three thousand on February twenty
third. There were also report it's of
281
00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:06.240
pets dying immediately after the spill.
There were no reports of wildlife other than
282
00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:11.160
fish, being affected by the spill. This doesn't mean that larger animals weren't
283
00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:18.920
affected. It means that no one
knows how much damage was done. Concerns
284
00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:22.720
have been raised about the chemicals settling
into the sediment of the streams and rivers,
285
00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:27.640
causing long term damage to the local
aquatic life and to any animals that
286
00:29:27.839 --> 00:29:34.839
eat the contaminated fish. Immediately after
the spill, a preliminary assessment was done
287
00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:41.960
on the surface water surrounding East Palestine. The EPA reported that concentrations of petroleum
288
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:49.240
products were so high that they suspected
malfunctions in their equipment. Excessive levels of
289
00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:55.640
tetraphene and chrysine, both carcinogenic compounds
that are known to persist in soil and
290
00:29:55.720 --> 00:30:00.839
water, were also present. Water
isn't static, so the residents are concerned
291
00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:06.680
that these chemicals may make it into
the ground water. The water table in
292
00:30:06.759 --> 00:30:11.759
East Palestine is about thirty five feet
underground. This could not only harm human
293
00:30:11.960 --> 00:30:19.680
inhabitants, but wildlife as well for
many years to come. The Railroad performed
294
00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:26.880
a controlled burn on five unstable rail
cars that were carrying vinyl chloride. This
295
00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:30.559
burn was given the nod by Ohio
Governor Mike DeWine, but the railroad was
296
00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:36.559
in charge of the project and no
other government agencies were made aware of the
297
00:30:36.599 --> 00:30:41.880
burn. When burned, vinyl chloride
breaks down into hydrogen chloride and phosgen.
298
00:30:42.759 --> 00:30:48.559
Phosgene was used in chemical warfare during
World War One and is a highly poisonous
299
00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:56.400
chemical that was responsible for many deaths
during that campaign. Other chemicals on board
300
00:30:56.440 --> 00:31:02.960
the train could also cause severe illness. Butyl acrylate is used in paint,
301
00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:10.559
adhesives and sealings. Ethyl hexyl acrylate
is used for making paint printing, inks,
302
00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:18.720
and plastics. Both are toxic to
the lungs and nervous system. Ethylene
303
00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:23.400
glyco monobutyl ether is an industrial solvent
that can be absorbed through the skin and
304
00:31:23.599 --> 00:31:32.799
is toxic to the liver and kidneys. Isobutylene is a gas used in antioxidants,
305
00:31:32.839 --> 00:31:38.759
packaging, plastics, and high octane
jet fuel. The release of multiple
306
00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:45.680
chemicals into the air complicates the situation. We may never know the total impact
307
00:31:45.720 --> 00:31:49.960
this spill has had on local wildlife
or what combination of chemicals is responsible for
308
00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:56.759
the damage. The dystopian plume dissipated
after a few days, but people in
309
00:31:56.880 --> 00:32:06.480
Ohio and Pennsylvania where I reporting symptoms
of chemical exposure from miles away. Remember
310
00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:13.039
air isn't static either. These chemicals
could be carried for miles, and it
311
00:32:13.039 --> 00:32:20.400
would depend on which way the wind
blew. Recent air analysis has shown that
312
00:32:20.519 --> 00:32:25.119
concentrations of nine of the fifty chemicals
that the EPA has been monitoring since the
313
00:32:25.200 --> 00:32:31.279
derailment are higher than normal in the
area. This includes a chemical known as
314
00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:37.480
acroline. This chemical is used as
a bioside to control plants, algae,
315
00:32:37.759 --> 00:32:45.880
fungi, rodents, and microorganisms.
Inhaling Elevated levels of this chemical short term
316
00:32:45.960 --> 00:32:52.559
only causes throat and lung irritation,
but long term the effects could be much
317
00:32:52.640 --> 00:33:00.000
more severe and permanent. Carcinogens such
as vinyl chloride and benzene have been detected
318
00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:07.400
and higher than normal ranges, along
with toleuene, ethyl benzene, methylene chloride,
319
00:33:07.119 --> 00:33:16.839
trichlorofluoromethane, and mp xylenes. Dioxins
are biproducts of chlorinated organic compounds that
320
00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:23.039
are released through waste incineration. They
accumulate in animal fat, fish, and
321
00:33:23.200 --> 00:33:30.640
shellfish. Dioxins cause cancer, disrupt
hormones, lead to reproductive and developmental problems,
322
00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:37.480
and damage immune systems. The food
chain could be contaminated for several generations
323
00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:43.240
due to the release of dioxins into
the air, water, and soil after
324
00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:50.400
the fire. The environment works in
a circle. These chemicals were released onto
325
00:33:50.440 --> 00:33:53.400
the ground and into the air,
and as they fall from the air onto
326
00:33:53.400 --> 00:33:59.680
the soil, they will be released
back into the atmosphere for many years to
327
00:33:59.720 --> 00:34:05.799
come. That cycle will continue until
the chemicals reach their half life or until
328
00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:12.079
there is some major cleanup effort.
Most of the chemicals, like vinyl chloride,
329
00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:15.679
have half lives of about one to
four days, but others could be
330
00:34:15.719 --> 00:34:24.079
around much much longer. The real
unfortunate truth is that it may take years
331
00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:30.599
to figure out what the real impact
was on people or animals in the area.
332
00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:36.480
While remediation efforts are taking place,
some of the areas affected lye in
333
00:34:36.599 --> 00:34:42.760
areas where it's hard to remove the
soil, including beneath train tracks and buildings.
334
00:34:45.079 --> 00:34:51.760
On February twenty first, EPA Administrator
Michael Reagan ordered Norfolk Southern Railway to
335
00:34:51.880 --> 00:34:57.880
pay for the contaminated soil and water
cleanup and reimburse the EPA for the private
336
00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:05.039
cleanup of residential homes and businesses.
This order forces the Norfolk Southern to adhere
337
00:35:05.119 --> 00:35:10.800
to a plan set and managed by
the EPA. It's been estimated that the
338
00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:17.519
spill contaminated at least fifteen thousand pounds
of soil and one point one million gallons
339
00:35:17.599 --> 00:35:24.360
of water. The EPA is finding
the rail company seventy thousand dollars a day
340
00:35:24.519 --> 00:35:30.639
until the mess is cleaned up.
Put that on top of the original cost
341
00:35:30.679 --> 00:35:35.400
to clean up, and maybe Norfolk
Southern will get the hint that even the
342
00:35:35.480 --> 00:35:42.199
government is sick of their crap.
The streams that were hardest hit where locals
343
00:35:42.199 --> 00:35:46.360
were photographing the damage caused by the
oily sheen that ran down The tributaries to
344
00:35:46.440 --> 00:35:54.480
the Ohio River were reintroduction sites for
the hellbender salamander. The hellbender has been
345
00:35:54.599 --> 00:36:00.760
on the endangered list for some time
and the reintroduction was sup host to help
346
00:36:00.840 --> 00:36:07.599
the species recover. The Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has opened an
347
00:36:07.639 --> 00:36:15.440
investigation tracking chemical exposure along the tributaries. They will be studying the effect that
348
00:36:15.480 --> 00:36:21.840
the spill has had on the hell
bender. The sulfur run stream was the
349
00:36:21.880 --> 00:36:28.039
most impacted by the derailment because officials
rerouted the water there with damming and pumps.
350
00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:32.920
A portion of the stream was dammed
and rerouted to protect water downstream.
351
00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:43.280
This water will be treated with booms, aeration and carbon filtration units. Pennsylvania
352
00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:49.920
Governor Josh Shapiro made a criminal referral
against the Norfolk Southern on February twenty first.
353
00:36:50.920 --> 00:36:57.280
He listed three critical failures of the
Norfolk Southern Railroad in his complaint.
354
00:36:58.000 --> 00:37:02.639
One, the Norfolk Southern made its
own plan and did not implement a unified
355
00:37:02.679 --> 00:37:09.400
command, which confused first responders and
emergency management. As a result, the
356
00:37:09.480 --> 00:37:17.440
state and local agencies had to react
versus work in tandem. Two, the
357
00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:24.480
Norfolk Southern gave inaccurate information and conflicting
modeling about the impact of the controlled release
358
00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:31.880
of chemicals. Three, the Norfolk
Southern was unwilling to explore any alternative to
359
00:37:32.079 --> 00:37:42.599
burning chemicals and released and burned the
chemicals without warning government agencies. Since the
360
00:37:42.719 --> 00:37:47.679
derailment, national attention has been focused
on the influence that the railroad industry has
361
00:37:47.679 --> 00:37:52.079
on Congress. They've been able to
write their own rules when it comes to
362
00:37:52.159 --> 00:37:55.880
what they ship and how they ship
it, and who they report to.
363
00:37:58.679 --> 00:38:02.400
If the railroads were better regulated,
many accidents and derailments could be avoided,
364
00:38:02.920 --> 00:38:09.000
But for decades the freight and rail
industry has lobbied against congressional approval of standards
365
00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:16.159
and mandates that include appropriate staffing,
braking systems, and hazardous material limits.
366
00:38:17.920 --> 00:38:24.599
The Federal Railroad Administration does regulate and
inspect freight and passenger rail travel, it
367
00:38:24.679 --> 00:38:30.840
does not monitor the active transportation of
freight. In other words, they can
368
00:38:30.880 --> 00:38:35.280
come and look at a train before
it leaves the station, but if they
369
00:38:35.320 --> 00:38:40.679
find something wrong, they can't shut
it down. If the regulation over the
370
00:38:40.760 --> 00:38:45.840
breaking systems had gone through legislation,
it would have reduced the number of cars
371
00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:52.920
that derail by a fifth and would
have only cost the industry four hundred and
372
00:38:52.079 --> 00:39:00.320
thirty nine million dollars over a period
of twenty years, but the railroad associations
373
00:39:00.480 --> 00:39:07.840
refused to comply. The railroad has
been historically corrupt since its beginnings. It's
374
00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:14.199
been used as a method to extort
the federal government and launder money, all
375
00:39:14.280 --> 00:39:22.440
done with bribes and backscratches to Congress
and other government leaders. And while the
376
00:39:22.559 --> 00:39:28.360
railroad continues to do what the railroad
does in the areas surrounding East Palestine,
377
00:39:28.480 --> 00:39:32.960
researchers will continue to monitor the effect
that this derailment has had on the wildlife,
378
00:39:35.199 --> 00:39:39.719
especially the aquatic species. In years
to come, there may be problems
379
00:39:39.719 --> 00:39:45.159
with reproduction, mass die offs,
short lifespans, and other indicators of chemical
380
00:39:45.199 --> 00:39:52.800
contamination. The Norfolk Southern refused invitations
to talk about the derailment at town hall
381
00:39:52.880 --> 00:39:59.880
meetings immediately after the derailment. They
refuse to address the problems that the SPI
382
00:40:00.199 --> 00:40:07.960
had on human populations, never mind
the local wildlife. The Norfolk Southern contractors
383
00:40:07.079 --> 00:40:13.960
threatened locals with arrest for taking pictures
of the dead and dying fish and amphibians
384
00:40:14.039 --> 00:40:19.760
in the streams that were affected by
the spill. One reporter was arrested at
385
00:40:19.760 --> 00:40:23.079
a press conference after being told that
he was covering the event far too well.
386
00:40:23.960 --> 00:40:31.239
These charges have since been dropped.
Essentially, the railroad is trying to
387
00:40:31.280 --> 00:40:37.679
cover up the damage done by the
spill rather than mitigated. Multiple class action
388
00:40:37.760 --> 00:40:44.079
lawsuits against the Norfolk Southern have been
filed citing the dangerous practice of precision railroading.
389
00:40:45.239 --> 00:40:52.880
This strategy maximizes profits by running longer, heavier trains as frequently as possible.
390
00:40:53.920 --> 00:40:59.800
While several new laws are being passed
by various government agencies across the country
391
00:40:59.800 --> 00:41:05.000
to control the railroad, the railroad
is effectively flipping them all the bird and
392
00:41:05.119 --> 00:41:09.880
insisting that they can make their own
emergency responds planned to derailments. It's deja
393
00:41:09.960 --> 00:41:15.000
vu all over again. At the
end of the day. The railroad is
394
00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:22.719
the prime example of what happens when
businesses have no government oversight, when they're
395
00:41:22.760 --> 00:41:29.280
allowed to make their own rules and
police themselves. The effects on the environment
396
00:41:29.360 --> 00:41:32.800
that the derailment in East Palestine,
Ohio has had will be felt for years
397
00:41:34.239 --> 00:41:40.960
and the consequences may not even be
known for decades. Now. Remember those
398
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:45.159
train operators that were trying to stop
the train in the beginning of this story.
399
00:41:46.800 --> 00:41:52.880
They later told the Federal Transportation Administration
that the alert came too late.
400
00:41:53.880 --> 00:41:59.880
The bearing on the wheel of the
twenty third car had already reached temperatures of
401
00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:06.159
over two hundred degrees fahrenheit before they
got the alert. It was too late
402
00:42:06.199 --> 00:42:12.239
to stop the train and keep it
from derailing. In thinking of that,
403
00:42:12.280 --> 00:42:15.559
the train was heavy and once it
got going, it was going to take
404
00:42:15.840 --> 00:42:24.280
miles of track to stop it.
That legislation that the Federal Transportation Safety Administration
405
00:42:24.400 --> 00:42:30.599
is trying to put through, the
one with the better breaking systems, Yeah,
406
00:42:30.679 --> 00:42:37.039
it may have prevented this derailment from
happening. And so would running fewer
407
00:42:37.039 --> 00:42:51.400
cars as slowly as possible. It's
ninety seconds to midnight, and corporate greed,
408
00:42:51.519 --> 00:42:57.199
mismanagement, and poor oversight are claiming
the lives of thousands of animals every
409
00:42:57.280 --> 00:43:04.760
day across the world through chemical spill. These were major instances, but we
410
00:43:04.840 --> 00:43:10.519
also need to consider deforestation, plastic
waste, pollution, car emissions, encroachment,
411
00:43:12.079 --> 00:43:16.840
and all the other ways that man
adversely affects wildlife. If we look
412
00:43:16.880 --> 00:43:22.480
at it all, we can see
why our wildlife populations are becoming extinct at
413
00:43:22.519 --> 00:43:30.079
alarming rates. Thank you for listening
to Cause of Death one hundred seconds to
414
00:43:30.119 --> 00:43:35.320
midnight. Please take a moment to
click on the subscribe button in your favorite
415
00:43:35.320 --> 00:43:42.000
podcast player, then go rate and
review the show. Your contributions keep this
416
00:43:42.079 --> 00:43:49.480
podcast going. Your continued support through
Patreon and Apple subscriptions is greatly appreciated.
417
00:43:50.440 --> 00:43:53.559
If you haven't headed over to check
out the subscriber feeds, please do so.
418
00:43:54.159 --> 00:44:00.239
There are a ton of perks when
you sign up, plus you help
419
00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:05.760
me pay for equipment, subscriptions,
white papers, research, editing music,
420
00:44:06.199 --> 00:44:12.679
and keeping my stomach from growling during
a recording. If you have questions or
421
00:44:12.719 --> 00:44:15.800
comments, or just want to say
hello, you can drop me a line
422
00:44:15.920 --> 00:44:20.880
at Jackie at Cause of Death one
hundred sex dot net. You can also
423
00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:24.000
head over to the website where you
can leave a voicemail, sign up for
424
00:44:24.119 --> 00:44:30.480
my mailing list, read the blog, and just generally catch up on all
425
00:44:30.519 --> 00:44:35.440
the HAPs at the podcast. Take
a look at the show notes for some
426
00:44:35.559 --> 00:44:40.519
really enlightening information on chemical spills and
their effects on wildlife and the environment.
427
00:44:43.360 --> 00:44:47.480
There will be a subscriber only episode
dropping within the week on the House that
428
00:44:47.719 --> 00:44:54.320
Jack built. This episode will explore
the ways that feral species can decimate native
429
00:44:54.400 --> 00:45:00.960
species in the environment and what we
can do about it. Season six of
430
00:45:01.000 --> 00:45:07.519
Who's Who Outside of the Zoo continues
in two weeks with rabbit hammorrhagic disease.
431
00:45:07.320 --> 00:45:13.599
You'll find out how this virus can
wipe out entire populations of wild and domestic
432
00:45:13.719 --> 00:46:07.320
rabbits once they become exposed. Until
then, don't buy any monopoly railroads.
433
00:46:10.559 --> 00:46:58.920
M bigger, bigger, bigger,
M
1
00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:06.240
Hello. I'm Ashley from Fuck That, a true crime podcast, and I
2
00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:10.160
want to share with you the details
of a case I've recently covered. Chad
3
00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:15.359
Zachary Hower was a prominent Microsoft employee
living overseas, and he seemingly had a
4
00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:19.920
promising future ahead of him. He
had full custody of his son, Alex,
5
00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:24.160
whom he had during a previous marriage
with his ex wife, Nancy Oberlander.
6
00:00:24.839 --> 00:00:30.160
He was remarried, planning on extending
his family, and for all intents
7
00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:34.920
and purposes, Chad was on top
of the world, but his ex wife,
8
00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:39.960
Nancy did not intend to let him
off that easily. Nancy fled Tennessee,
9
00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:45.240
the states that had jurisdiction over their
son Alex's custodial arrangement, moving to
10
00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:52.200
Pennsylvania without notifying the courts or Chad. This was the first of many deliberate
11
00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:56.719
moves Nancy made to prevent Chad from
his inherent right to see his son.
12
00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:02.679
Once Chad was granted custody in two
thousand five and Alex was removed from Nancy's
13
00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:07.400
home by Venego County Sheriffs in Pennsylvania, he felt relieved at the thought of
14
00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:11.920
his son finally being able to establish
roots, but Chad's troubles were just beginning.
15
00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:18.120
Pennsylvania, a state where Alex lived
for only a few months, in
16
00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:23.519
violation of Tennessee's custodial agreement, took
emergency jurisdiction over the case, creating a
17
00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:29.920
domino effect that would forever change not
only Alex's life, but Chad's life.
18
00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:34.760
Forever joined me as I delve into
the custodio battle that ultimately led to Chad
19
00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:42.920
Howard becoming the TikTok fugitive wanted by
the FBI for international kidnapping, ultimately leading
20
00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:47.760
to an interpoll red notice. This
case delves into the corruption at not only
21
00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:53.079
the state level, but the federal
level as well, uncovering lies and corruption
22
00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:57.760
from the FBI, National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children and United States Assistant
23
00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:04.000
Attorneys all well, Chad fights for
his independence and his life overseas. You
24
00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:07.360
can listen to Chad Hower The TikTok
Fugitive Parts one through three wherever you listen
25
00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:15.360
to podcasts? Are you tired of
speculative, sensational, poorly researched, and
26
00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:20.840
disrespectful true crime podcasts? Me too? Hi? I'm Eric Carter Londean and
27
00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:24.639
I'm here to introduce you to True
Consequences Podcast, an advocacy focus show that
28
00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:29.759
sets itself apart from the rest you
see. True Consequences is a love letter
29
00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:32.759
from my baby brother, Jacob Londean, who was murdered nearly four decades ago,
30
00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:38.280
and he still needs justice. What
sets my show apart is the deep
31
00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:40.840
dive research I do, the first
person accounts I bring to light, and
32
00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:45.719
the empathetic lens through which I approach
each case. I know what it's like
33
00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:47.840
to fight for justice for a loved
one, and I'm committed to helping other
34
00:02:47.879 --> 00:02:53.719
families seeking justice. You can listen
to True Consequences wherever you get your favorite
35
00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:58.639
podcast. Join me Eric Carter Londean
on this journey to uncover the truth and
36
00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:04.000
advocate for justice. Together we can
make a difference. Don't settle for sensationalism.
37
00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:08.719
Choose True Consequences podcast for advocacy focused
true crime. Subscribe now and be
38
00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:14.199
part of the movement for justice.
Darkcast Network, come on over to the
39
00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:16.680
dark Side. We're really nice people
once you get past the true crime and
40
00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:28.919
scary science. Hello, and welcome
to Cause of Death one hundred seconds to
41
00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:35.319
midnight. I'm your host, Jackie
Moranti. For hundreds of years, man
42
00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:39.360
has been the greatest destroyer of the
planet. As the highest being on the
43
00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:44.759
food chain, our impact on the
environment is the greatest contributor to the loss
44
00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:51.680
of species worldwide. Breeding grounds are
being destroyed and access to resources is diminishing
45
00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:57.800
due to industrial and residential development,
logging, crop farming, livestock grazing,
46
00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:02.520
mining, road and dam building,
and pesticide use. All of this is
47
00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:09.000
in the name of progress. Today, I'm going to talk about what happens
48
00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:14.319
when progress gets out of hand and
there is a man made disaster. What
49
00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:18.319
effects to these disasters have on ecosystems
and the wild life that depend on those
50
00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:25.639
habitats to survive. It's ninety seconds
to midnight, and the struggle to live
51
00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:29.839
in a place that should be their
own is becoming more and more desperate for
52
00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:34.240
the animals that have to adapt when
their habitats are destroyed through human error and
53
00:04:34.439 --> 00:04:44.040
carelessness. This is a topic that
really hits me where I live. Nothing
54
00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:49.040
angers me more than a chemical spill
that kills countless animals and has long lasting
55
00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:55.399
effects on their habitats. I'm going
to talk about three instances where greed,
56
00:04:55.720 --> 00:05:01.319
human error, and indifference caused permanent
damage to huge swaths of land and ocean.
57
00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:09.160
I'm going to talk about the Exxon
Valdez oil spill, the Chernobyl nuclear
58
00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:15.199
incident, and the train derailment in
East Palestine, Ohio. These aren't the
59
00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:20.040
only chemical spills that have ruined countless
miles of habitat and cost thousands of animals
60
00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:26.079
their lives. But these are hallmarks
of what can happen when companies and their
61
00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:51.720
employees cut corners and refuse to follow
the rules. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
62
00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:59.160
was in disrepair and routine maintenance was
not being done on the facility. Employees
63
00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.680
were not trained well, and the
Soviet government was not willing to put a
64
00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:08.120
lot of money into the plant.
On April twenty sixth, nineteen eighty six,
65
00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:14.680
reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear
Power Plant exploded during a mandatory safety
66
00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:21.959
test. This incident released large amounts
of radioactive material into the atmosphere. Shortly
67
00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:27.680
thereafter, an unexpected power surge led
to a break in another one of the
68
00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:33.600
reactors. This caused air to reach
the graphite moderator. The entire reactor went
69
00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:41.560
up in flames. This resulted in
a radioactive jet emission of iodine one thirty
70
00:06:41.560 --> 00:06:46.399
one, closely followed by caesium one
thirty seven and caesium one thirty four.
71
00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:56.680
Non Volatile strontium isotopes like strontium ninety
and transuranic elements such as plutonium and americum
72
00:06:56.680 --> 00:07:03.120
were also released. The nonvolatile substances
were mainly deposited in the immediate vicinity of
73
00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:12.959
the power plant in Ukraine and Belarus, The highly volatile iodine and caesium reached
74
00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:16.720
heights of over one kilometer as a
result of thermal uplift caused by the high
75
00:07:16.759 --> 00:07:23.879
temperatures of the burning graphite in the
reactor. This gave rise to these elements
76
00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:30.319
traveling across the Northern Hemisphere and into
Europe. The prevailing winds at the beginning
77
00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:38.879
of the release transported radionuclides over Poland
towards Scandinavia. A second radioactive cloud moved
78
00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:45.920
over Slovakia, the Czech Republic and
Austria towards Germany. The third cloud reached
79
00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:53.959
Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. These chemicals were released into the atmosphere
80
00:07:54.040 --> 00:07:59.519
over a period of ten days before
the reactor could be contained. The effects
81
00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:03.319
of this disaster will be felt in
the affected areas for hundreds of years to
82
00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:11.480
come. The amount of radioactive material
released to the western edge of Russia in
83
00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:16.079
Central Europe was one hundred times more
than the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima
84
00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:24.240
and Nagasaki combined. Higher contamination rates
were found in regions where it rained as
85
00:08:24.279 --> 00:08:30.920
the radioactive clouds passed over. As
the rain washed the radionuclides out of the
86
00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:35.519
air, they settled in the ground. The intensity of the rain dictated how
87
00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:43.480
severely each area was contaminated. The
effect of the Chernobyl disaster on wildlife is
88
00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:48.159
a topic that's hotly debated among researchers
to this day. There are so many
89
00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:54.080
variables that exist, it's hard to
tell what impact radionuclides had on the environment
90
00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:58.559
and how much is still ongoing.
It's unknown how many animals died in the
91
00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:03.919
immediate fallout. An area known as
the Red Forest was observed to have been
92
00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:11.240
hit the hardest. There. The
detrimental effects included mass mortality of pine trees,
93
00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:18.080
reduced pine seed production, reductions in
soil invertebrates, and mass death of
94
00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:24.000
small mammals. Today, some researchers
tout the Chernobyl exclusion zone as a wildlife
95
00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:31.279
paradise devoid of people. They claim
that several species have thrived in the seas
96
00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:35.960
and continue to do well. Other
researchers claim that the wildlife living in the
97
00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:43.200
SEEZ are subject to genetic mutations and
have far shorter lifespans than animals who live
98
00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:50.440
outside of the SEZ. Radioactive dose
rates in the CEZ remain high enough that
99
00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:56.080
we would expect adverse effects on wildlife
living inside of the zone. Immediately after
100
00:09:56.120 --> 00:10:01.440
that accident, detrimental effects on wildlife
were observed as far away as Germany,
101
00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:07.639
and for many years after, mutations
were observed in several species living inside of
102
00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:15.600
the zone. So what makes this
so complicated? Several factors are involved in
103
00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:20.000
studying the radiation levels inside of the
c Z, one of which is the
104
00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:28.840
way that radiation is determined in the
field. Researchers use handheld doscimeters to measure
105
00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:35.120
radiation in field studies. This is
not a totally accurate way to measure radiation
106
00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:41.320
in the environment. Measurement height varies
and units may not be applicable to wildlife.
107
00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:46.759
Seabirds are used to measure radiation in
people, but the docimeters that are
108
00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:52.360
in use often use graze as a
measurement. The measurements between the two can
109
00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:56.039
vary about fifteen percent, and that's
a lot when you're trying to get an
110
00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:01.320
accurate dose measurement for a study.
Then, to top it off, there's
111
00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:09.399
no way of knowing how much radiation
existed before the accident. Remember that radioactive
112
00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:15.120
rain that fell all along the fallout
zone. Remember me saying that there were
113
00:11:15.159 --> 00:11:18.759
areas that got more rain than others. It was the same inside of the
114
00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:24.320
c e z. Anywhere the rain
fell harder or it rained more, there
115
00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:31.159
was more radiation on the ground.
What this means is that dosemitar readings can
116
00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:35.519
be taken in various places within one
hundred square meters, and those readings may
117
00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:41.919
vary by several orders of magnitude.
It all depends on the ten days of
118
00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:50.000
radioactive weather that occurred right after the
explosion. When considering the effects on wildlife,
119
00:11:50.039 --> 00:11:54.679
their home range needs to be examined. Also. While mice, rats,
120
00:11:54.759 --> 00:12:00.519
and other small mammals have relatively small
ranges, larger animals like wolves,
121
00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:05.120
bears, and horses have much bigger
home ranges, so they travel in and
122
00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:11.399
out of the cez to find food
and water. This would have an effect
123
00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:18.000
on their survival. Smaller animals may
have higher radiation levels than larger ones that
124
00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:24.440
are traveling out of the CEZ.
Since the CEZ has a variety of radionuclides
125
00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:28.679
present, to really get a handle
on the dose rates, one would have
126
00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:35.879
to consider all contributors. Most studies
focus on radio caesium and strontium ninety,
127
00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:41.799
but when we consider caesium one thirty
seven, strontium ninety, americum two forty
128
00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:48.440
one, and plutonium isotopes and focus
on the internal dose rates in the organisms
129
00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:52.240
of interest. In this case,
it was the vole. Strontium ninety is
130
00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:58.919
the major contributor in most but in
other organisms, caesium one thirty seven contributed
131
00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:05.279
similarly or even more than strontium.
The contribution of americus two forty one and
132
00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:13.120
plutonium is typically less than ten percent. In earthworms, the contribution of americus
133
00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:18.480
two forty one and plutonium is forty
percent of the whole. In bats,
134
00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:24.840
strontium ninety contributed ninety percent of the
dose rate, Caesium one thirty seven contributed
135
00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:31.559
about three percent, and plutonium isotopes
contributed less than one percent. Several species
136
00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.879
have been studied over the years since
the accident, and those studies will continue
137
00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:43.360
until answers to the mysteries are found. There are a ton of questions to
138
00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:48.440
be answered. Researchers are asking whether
or not the mutations that the animals have
139
00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:52.840
experienced have helped them live in a
radioactive environment for all these years. Have
140
00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:58.879
the animals in the Cez just adapted
to radiation? Have they become immune to
141
00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:05.320
it? Has there been some genetic
change in the animals over the course of
142
00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:11.720
generations that has contributed to their immunity. If we found the answers to these
143
00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:18.000
questions, could that lead to a
cure for cancer? Before we leave the
144
00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:22.879
Ukraine and go to Alaska, I
want to leave you with two more thoughts.
145
00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:28.360
Many researchers believe that the lack of
human presence in the seas is the
146
00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:35.200
reason that the wildlife in the Sez
thrives. There are no people there to
147
00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:39.919
reak havoc on the habitats that they've
seemingly adjusted to. It will be more
148
00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:46.279
than one hundred years before the levels
of radiation subside to a habitable range in
149
00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:54.159
the Cez, but somehow the wildlife
has persevered. I'll keep my eye out
150
00:14:54.159 --> 00:15:00.159
for more research and let you know
what happens as studies continue in the zone.
151
00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:03.879
My last thought on this takes us
to Germany, where high levels of
152
00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:09.200
caesium one thirty seven are still present
in the forests that were affected by radioactive
153
00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:15.240
rains. It's known that caesium one
thirty seven will cling to the soil,
154
00:15:15.559 --> 00:15:20.519
and often it will be absorbed by
the roots of plants. Forty years later,
155
00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:26.039
the older trees are holding on to
the caesium that they absorbed as saplings.
156
00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:31.159
Remember in the beginning of this story, I told you that reactor number
157
00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:37.240
four melted down during a safety test. This plant had been suffering from lack
158
00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:43.440
of oversight for years. It was
one of the biggest nuclear reactors in the
159
00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:48.759
world at the time, and it
was being run poorly. Routine maintenance was
160
00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:54.440
often overlooked, safety checks were not
performed regularly. There was a lack of
161
00:15:54.519 --> 00:16:02.360
oversight by any government entity. Employees
weren't trained properly. The list goes on
162
00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:07.480
and on. If there had been
proper management of the facility, this might
163
00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:15.200
have been avoided. But instead,
the largest nuclear disaster to date occurred at
164
00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:22.600
this plant, and the effects are
still being felt today. We're going to
165
00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:26.440
take a little break to hear from
our sponsors, and then we'll be back.
166
00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:52.799
Oil companies seem to enjoy the freedom
to run their businesses in any way
167
00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:59.200
they please. After all, the
US runs on fossil fuel, and politics
168
00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:03.599
play a large role in the way
that oil companies run their businesses. Oil
169
00:17:03.640 --> 00:17:10.200
companies and railroads are largely funded by
the US government, even though their private
170
00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:18.039
businesses. Both of these businesses enjoy
the right of eminent domain. The difference
171
00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:22.599
between the two is that oil companies
are regulated by the EPA, but railroads
172
00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:30.079
govern themselves. More than seventy oil
spills are reported in the United States on
173
00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:36.000
any given day. It would seem
that oil companies would rather pay the fines
174
00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:41.359
for polluting the planet than put money
into prevention. Poor oversight, mismanagement,
175
00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:47.880
and a drunken captain were all contributors
to the Exxon Valdi's oil spill that killed
176
00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:53.400
thousands of marine animals off the coast
of Alaska's Prince Williams Sound in nineteen eighty
177
00:17:53.480 --> 00:18:00.319
nine. This was the largest oil
spill in history before the Deep Water Horizon
178
00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:07.680
spill in two thousand and ten.
The Exon Valdis struck Bly Reef at four
179
00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:14.279
minutes after midnight on March twenty fourth, nineteen eighty nine, dumping eleven million
180
00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:21.400
gallons of Prudehoe Bay crude oil into
the ocean. The Exon Valdez was carrying
181
00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:27.480
a total of fifty three million gallons
of crude bly Reef is a well known
182
00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:33.799
navigational hazard in Prince William Sound,
but the captain, Joseph Hazelwood, had
183
00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:40.680
been drinking and he allowed an unlicensed
third mate to steer the ship. The
184
00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:45.440
Exon Valdi's oil spill would leave hundreds
of thousands of sea animals dead in its
185
00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:52.240
wake and would ruin the pristine waters
of Prince William's Sound forever. Thirteen hundred
186
00:18:52.279 --> 00:19:00.319
miles of coastline were virtually destroyed after
the single whole ship ran aground in nineteen
187
00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:04.400
eighty nine. There were very few
response mechanisms in place, and entire ecosystems
188
00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:14.359
were destroyed. Oil spills contaminate everything
they touch algae, plants, invertebrates,
189
00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:19.480
fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. These plants and animals
190
00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:27.680
are virtually smothered by oil. They
experience hydrocarbon toxicity, hypothermia, and long
191
00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:36.599
term effects. Animals that live close
to the surface or come to the surface
192
00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:41.279
to feed. Are often the most
affected by oil spills. Whales, dolphins,
193
00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:45.440
turtles, birds, seals, and
otters are a few of the animals
194
00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:53.079
that most often die immediately after a
spill. These animals become covered in sticky
195
00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:59.559
oil, and since their fur and
feathers regulate their body temperature, the oil
196
00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:07.279
prev this regulation and they die from
hypothermia. The oil can also make their
197
00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:11.160
fur or feathers retain water. This
makes the animal heavy and it loses its
198
00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:17.839
buoyancy, causing it to drown.
Birds love to preen themselves, and if
199
00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:22.599
the oil is stuck to their feathers, the birds will ingest it. This
200
00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:30.119
causes severe organ and neurological damage.
The oil sticks to everything it encounters,
201
00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:33.400
and plants that are food supplies for
many marine animals become affected. For the
202
00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:40.319
long term, animals will often suffer
from malnutritions since they won't eat the contaminated
203
00:20:40.359 --> 00:20:47.599
plants. Those that do will often
be poisoned. Future generations suffer since poisoning
204
00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:52.240
will often cause birth defects in mammalian
populations, but the contamination will also cause
205
00:20:52.400 --> 00:21:00.279
thin shells in the eggs of amphibian
and bird populations. Unfortunately, the only
206
00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:03.039
way to save the animals is to
clean the oil off of them, and
207
00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:10.119
many times that's not possible. In
nineteen eighty nine, there were no emergency
208
00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:15.119
response plans in place, and the
animals died. For months After the spill,
209
00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:22.160
XON employees, federal responders, and
more than eleven thousand Alaska residents worked
210
00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:26.519
to clean up the spill. These
people, many of whom were volunteers,
211
00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:33.440
worked around the clock to skim oil
from the water surface and spray oil dispersing
212
00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:37.440
chemicals into the water and on shore, and wash oiled beaches with hot water.
213
00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:42.119
They also rescued and cleaned as many
animals that have been trapped in the
214
00:21:42.119 --> 00:21:48.279
oil as they could. Exon paid
about two billion in cleanup costs and one
215
00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:56.160
point eight billion for habitat restoration and
personal damages caused by the spill. The
216
00:21:56.240 --> 00:22:00.480
Exon Valdi's spill was the first of
its kind in the world at the time,
217
00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:07.039
but environmentalists knew that it wouldn't be
the last. They purposefully left large
218
00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:11.039
swaths of shoreline untreated so that they
could study the effects of clean up measures
219
00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:15.599
and find out how long it would
take for that area to recover. On
220
00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:22.960
its own. One of these areas
was Mern's Rock. Conservation scientists have returned
221
00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:27.039
to the area every year since the
spill to study animal and plants that live
222
00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:33.319
there. They found that life returned
to relative normalcy in the area about four
223
00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:41.079
years after the spill after essentially powerwashing
the shoreline with hot water to get rid
224
00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:45.119
of the oil. They found that
this method killed the remaining plants and animals
225
00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:52.440
on shore, so it caused more
damage than it reversed. The spill was
226
00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:57.559
responsible for killing roughly two hundred and
fifty thousand seabirds, three thousand otters,
227
00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:04.000
three hundreds eels, two hundred and
fifty bald eagles, and twenty two killer
228
00:23:04.119 --> 00:23:10.759
whales. About forty percent of the
sea otters living in the Sound were killed
229
00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:15.400
in the spill. The population didn't
fully recover for twenty five years after the
230
00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:22.839
spill. In nineteen ninety, the
salmon and herring populations collapsed, as did
231
00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:30.119
the fisheries in Prince William's Sound.
The economic impact on towns like Valdez and
232
00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:36.720
Cordova was devastating and it took several
years for the economy to recover. The
233
00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:41.640
salmon population has declined as much as
twenty percent since and has never rebounded.
234
00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:48.240
It's hard to say whether the oil
spill is directly responsible for the declining salmon
235
00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:53.720
population, but the coincidence of a
permanent decline just a year after a major
236
00:23:53.759 --> 00:24:02.839
oil spill is a compelling coincidence.
Nineteen ninety, George HW Bush signed the
237
00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:08.240
Oil Pollution Act into law. The
Xon Valdes oil spill prompted the government to
238
00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:15.319
increase penalties for companies responsible for oil
spills, and it also required that oil
239
00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:21.960
tankers in the US have a double
hull. Had the Exon Valds been built
240
00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:26.680
with a double hole, the damage
that the ship sustained may have been minimal,
241
00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:33.119
and most of the oil may have
been contained on board. This disaster
242
00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:38.559
also taught conservationists and first responders how
to deal with massive oil spills. By
243
00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:45.119
the time that the Deepwater Horizon came
along, much better disaster response measures were
244
00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:52.200
in place. The Exon Valdis continued
to sail throughout the world, moving from
245
00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:56.920
one country to another until virtually the
entire world banned oil tankers with single holes.
246
00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:03.359
She carried or for a while off
the coast of China, but was
247
00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:10.119
decommissioned after running aground again in twenty
twelve. In March of nineteen ninety,
248
00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:15.279
Joseph Hazelwood was acquitted of felony charges
related to the oil spill. He was
249
00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:22.839
convicted of a single charge of misdemeanor
negligence find fifty thousand dollars in order to
250
00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:29.880
perform one thousand hours of community service. Exxon remains one of the largest and
251
00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:37.480
richest oil companies in the world.
Today, pockets of crude oil remain in
252
00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:42.839
some locations of Prince William's Sound,
and while the environment has compensated, the
253
00:25:44.000 --> 00:26:08.839
area will never be the pristine wilderness
it was before the spill. Railroads have
254
00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:14.440
been the favored sons of the US
government for over two hundred years. The
255
00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:19.279
contribution of the railroad to settling the
nation and westward expansion has earned the railroad
256
00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:26.680
VIP status across the country. Railroads
are privately owned businesses. As I mentioned
257
00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:32.799
before, railroads and oil companies are
the only two privately owned businesses able to
258
00:26:32.839 --> 00:26:38.799
execute eminent domain and condemnation. Their
status with the government, and I kind
259
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:45.240
of like to say that they're incahoots
allows railroad companies to remain tax exempt.
260
00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:55.799
Let that sink in a second,
Railroads govern themselves, They have their own
261
00:26:55.839 --> 00:27:02.000
oversight boards, and they police themselves. This gives rise to more than seventeen
262
00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:07.759
hundred and four train derailments per year
in the US. That breaks down to
263
00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:15.559
roughly five a day. The Federal
Railroad Administration only investigates about a hundred accidents
264
00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:23.799
per year. This includes derailments,
collisions, and other incidents. Most of
265
00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:30.599
these derailments are caused by poor maintenance
to either tracks or the train cars themselves.
266
00:27:30.519 --> 00:27:36.039
No one is watching, and any
attempt by the federal government to intervene
267
00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:41.279
is answered with scoffs from the railroad
associations. In the monopoly game of life,
268
00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:48.400
it's better to own a railroad than
the Trump Towers. Let's go to
269
00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:53.240
East Palestine, Ohio and find out
what can happen when poor maintenance and a
270
00:27:53.359 --> 00:28:00.119
lack of oversight is in place.
What happens when a train derails. On
271
00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:06.359
February third, twenty twenty three,
operators of a Norfolk Southern train carrying at
272
00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:11.440
least six different hazardous chemicals were alerted
that a wheel bearing on the twenty third
273
00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:18.480
car was overheating. They had tried
to stop the train and the train was
274
00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:22.759
coming to a stop when it derailed
near the town of East Palestine, dumping
275
00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:26.079
vinyl chloride onto the ground, into
the water, and into the air.
276
00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:37.720
Fifty cars derailed and twenty of those
cars were carrying hazardous materials. For several
277
00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:41.480
days after, aquatic life continued to
die as the chemical spill took its toll
278
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:47.559
on the land. At the time, a low estimate was that three thousand,
279
00:28:47.720 --> 00:28:52.319
five hundred fish were killed. The
number of aquatic animals effected was raised
280
00:28:52.359 --> 00:29:00.319
to forty three thousand on February twenty
third. There were also report it's of
281
00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:06.240
pets dying immediately after the spill.
There were no reports of wildlife other than
282
00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:11.160
fish, being affected by the spill. This doesn't mean that larger animals weren't
283
00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:18.920
affected. It means that no one
knows how much damage was done. Concerns
284
00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:22.720
have been raised about the chemicals settling
into the sediment of the streams and rivers,
285
00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:27.640
causing long term damage to the local
aquatic life and to any animals that
286
00:29:27.839 --> 00:29:34.839
eat the contaminated fish. Immediately after
the spill, a preliminary assessment was done
287
00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:41.960
on the surface water surrounding East Palestine. The EPA reported that concentrations of petroleum
288
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:49.240
products were so high that they suspected
malfunctions in their equipment. Excessive levels of
289
00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:55.640
tetraphene and chrysine, both carcinogenic compounds
that are known to persist in soil and
290
00:29:55.720 --> 00:30:00.839
water, were also present. Water
isn't static, so the residents are concerned
291
00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:06.680
that these chemicals may make it into
the ground water. The water table in
292
00:30:06.759 --> 00:30:11.759
East Palestine is about thirty five feet
underground. This could not only harm human
293
00:30:11.960 --> 00:30:19.680
inhabitants, but wildlife as well for
many years to come. The Railroad performed
294
00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:26.880
a controlled burn on five unstable rail
cars that were carrying vinyl chloride. This
295
00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:30.559
burn was given the nod by Ohio
Governor Mike DeWine, but the railroad was
296
00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:36.559
in charge of the project and no
other government agencies were made aware of the
297
00:30:36.599 --> 00:30:41.880
burn. When burned, vinyl chloride
breaks down into hydrogen chloride and phosgen.
298
00:30:42.759 --> 00:30:48.559
Phosgene was used in chemical warfare during
World War One and is a highly poisonous
299
00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:56.400
chemical that was responsible for many deaths
during that campaign. Other chemicals on board
300
00:30:56.440 --> 00:31:02.960
the train could also cause severe illness. Butyl acrylate is used in paint,
301
00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:10.559
adhesives and sealings. Ethyl hexyl acrylate
is used for making paint printing, inks,
302
00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:18.720
and plastics. Both are toxic to
the lungs and nervous system. Ethylene
303
00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:23.400
glyco monobutyl ether is an industrial solvent
that can be absorbed through the skin and
304
00:31:23.599 --> 00:31:32.799
is toxic to the liver and kidneys. Isobutylene is a gas used in antioxidants,
305
00:31:32.839 --> 00:31:38.759
packaging, plastics, and high octane
jet fuel. The release of multiple
306
00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:45.680
chemicals into the air complicates the situation. We may never know the total impact
307
00:31:45.720 --> 00:31:49.960
this spill has had on local wildlife
or what combination of chemicals is responsible for
308
00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:56.759
the damage. The dystopian plume dissipated
after a few days, but people in
309
00:31:56.880 --> 00:32:06.480
Ohio and Pennsylvania where I reporting symptoms
of chemical exposure from miles away. Remember
310
00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:13.039
air isn't static either. These chemicals
could be carried for miles, and it
311
00:32:13.039 --> 00:32:20.400
would depend on which way the wind
blew. Recent air analysis has shown that
312
00:32:20.519 --> 00:32:25.119
concentrations of nine of the fifty chemicals
that the EPA has been monitoring since the
313
00:32:25.200 --> 00:32:31.279
derailment are higher than normal in the
area. This includes a chemical known as
314
00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:37.480
acroline. This chemical is used as
a bioside to control plants, algae,
315
00:32:37.759 --> 00:32:45.880
fungi, rodents, and microorganisms.
Inhaling Elevated levels of this chemical short term
316
00:32:45.960 --> 00:32:52.559
only causes throat and lung irritation,
but long term the effects could be much
317
00:32:52.640 --> 00:33:00.000
more severe and permanent. Carcinogens such
as vinyl chloride and benzene have been detected
318
00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:07.400
and higher than normal ranges, along
with toleuene, ethyl benzene, methylene chloride,
319
00:33:07.119 --> 00:33:16.839
trichlorofluoromethane, and mp xylenes. Dioxins
are biproducts of chlorinated organic compounds that
320
00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:23.039
are released through waste incineration. They
accumulate in animal fat, fish, and
321
00:33:23.200 --> 00:33:30.640
shellfish. Dioxins cause cancer, disrupt
hormones, lead to reproductive and developmental problems,
322
00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:37.480
and damage immune systems. The food
chain could be contaminated for several generations
323
00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:43.240
due to the release of dioxins into
the air, water, and soil after
324
00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:50.400
the fire. The environment works in
a circle. These chemicals were released onto
325
00:33:50.440 --> 00:33:53.400
the ground and into the air,
and as they fall from the air onto
326
00:33:53.400 --> 00:33:59.680
the soil, they will be released
back into the atmosphere for many years to
327
00:33:59.720 --> 00:34:05.799
come. That cycle will continue until
the chemicals reach their half life or until
328
00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:12.079
there is some major cleanup effort.
Most of the chemicals, like vinyl chloride,
329
00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:15.679
have half lives of about one to
four days, but others could be
330
00:34:15.719 --> 00:34:24.079
around much much longer. The real
unfortunate truth is that it may take years
331
00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:30.599
to figure out what the real impact
was on people or animals in the area.
332
00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:36.480
While remediation efforts are taking place,
some of the areas affected lye in
333
00:34:36.599 --> 00:34:42.760
areas where it's hard to remove the
soil, including beneath train tracks and buildings.
334
00:34:45.079 --> 00:34:51.760
On February twenty first, EPA Administrator
Michael Reagan ordered Norfolk Southern Railway to
335
00:34:51.880 --> 00:34:57.880
pay for the contaminated soil and water
cleanup and reimburse the EPA for the private
336
00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:05.039
cleanup of residential homes and businesses.
This order forces the Norfolk Southern to adhere
337
00:35:05.119 --> 00:35:10.800
to a plan set and managed by
the EPA. It's been estimated that the
338
00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:17.519
spill contaminated at least fifteen thousand pounds
of soil and one point one million gallons
339
00:35:17.599 --> 00:35:24.360
of water. The EPA is finding
the rail company seventy thousand dollars a day
340
00:35:24.519 --> 00:35:30.639
until the mess is cleaned up.
Put that on top of the original cost
341
00:35:30.679 --> 00:35:35.400
to clean up, and maybe Norfolk
Southern will get the hint that even the
342
00:35:35.480 --> 00:35:42.199
government is sick of their crap.
The streams that were hardest hit where locals
343
00:35:42.199 --> 00:35:46.360
were photographing the damage caused by the
oily sheen that ran down The tributaries to
344
00:35:46.440 --> 00:35:54.480
the Ohio River were reintroduction sites for
the hellbender salamander. The hellbender has been
345
00:35:54.599 --> 00:36:00.760
on the endangered list for some time
and the reintroduction was sup host to help
346
00:36:00.840 --> 00:36:07.599
the species recover. The Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has opened an
347
00:36:07.639 --> 00:36:15.440
investigation tracking chemical exposure along the tributaries. They will be studying the effect that
348
00:36:15.480 --> 00:36:21.840
the spill has had on the hell
bender. The sulfur run stream was the
349
00:36:21.880 --> 00:36:28.039
most impacted by the derailment because officials
rerouted the water there with damming and pumps.
350
00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:32.920
A portion of the stream was dammed
and rerouted to protect water downstream.
351
00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:43.280
This water will be treated with booms, aeration and carbon filtration units. Pennsylvania
352
00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:49.920
Governor Josh Shapiro made a criminal referral
against the Norfolk Southern on February twenty first.
353
00:36:50.920 --> 00:36:57.280
He listed three critical failures of the
Norfolk Southern Railroad in his complaint.
354
00:36:58.000 --> 00:37:02.639
One, the Norfolk Southern made its
own plan and did not implement a unified
355
00:37:02.679 --> 00:37:09.400
command, which confused first responders and
emergency management. As a result, the
356
00:37:09.480 --> 00:37:17.440
state and local agencies had to react
versus work in tandem. Two, the
357
00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:24.480
Norfolk Southern gave inaccurate information and conflicting
modeling about the impact of the controlled release
358
00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:31.880
of chemicals. Three, the Norfolk
Southern was unwilling to explore any alternative to
359
00:37:32.079 --> 00:37:42.599
burning chemicals and released and burned the
chemicals without warning government agencies. Since the
360
00:37:42.719 --> 00:37:47.679
derailment, national attention has been focused
on the influence that the railroad industry has
361
00:37:47.679 --> 00:37:52.079
on Congress. They've been able to
write their own rules when it comes to
362
00:37:52.159 --> 00:37:55.880
what they ship and how they ship
it, and who they report to.
363
00:37:58.679 --> 00:38:02.400
If the railroads were better regulated,
many accidents and derailments could be avoided,
364
00:38:02.920 --> 00:38:09.000
But for decades the freight and rail
industry has lobbied against congressional approval of standards
365
00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:16.159
and mandates that include appropriate staffing,
braking systems, and hazardous material limits.
366
00:38:17.920 --> 00:38:24.599
The Federal Railroad Administration does regulate and
inspect freight and passenger rail travel, it
367
00:38:24.679 --> 00:38:30.840
does not monitor the active transportation of
freight. In other words, they can
368
00:38:30.880 --> 00:38:35.280
come and look at a train before
it leaves the station, but if they
369
00:38:35.320 --> 00:38:40.679
find something wrong, they can't shut
it down. If the regulation over the
370
00:38:40.760 --> 00:38:45.840
breaking systems had gone through legislation,
it would have reduced the number of cars
371
00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:52.920
that derail by a fifth and would
have only cost the industry four hundred and
372
00:38:52.079 --> 00:39:00.320
thirty nine million dollars over a period
of twenty years, but the railroad associations
373
00:39:00.480 --> 00:39:07.840
refused to comply. The railroad has
been historically corrupt since its beginnings. It's
374
00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:14.199
been used as a method to extort
the federal government and launder money, all
375
00:39:14.280 --> 00:39:22.440
done with bribes and backscratches to Congress
and other government leaders. And while the
376
00:39:22.559 --> 00:39:28.360
railroad continues to do what the railroad
does in the areas surrounding East Palestine,
377
00:39:28.480 --> 00:39:32.960
researchers will continue to monitor the effect
that this derailment has had on the wildlife,
378
00:39:35.199 --> 00:39:39.719
especially the aquatic species. In years
to come, there may be problems
379
00:39:39.719 --> 00:39:45.159
with reproduction, mass die offs,
short lifespans, and other indicators of chemical
380
00:39:45.199 --> 00:39:52.800
contamination. The Norfolk Southern refused invitations
to talk about the derailment at town hall
381
00:39:52.880 --> 00:39:59.880
meetings immediately after the derailment. They
refuse to address the problems that the SPI
382
00:40:00.199 --> 00:40:07.960
had on human populations, never mind
the local wildlife. The Norfolk Southern contractors
383
00:40:07.079 --> 00:40:13.960
threatened locals with arrest for taking pictures
of the dead and dying fish and amphibians
384
00:40:14.039 --> 00:40:19.760
in the streams that were affected by
the spill. One reporter was arrested at
385
00:40:19.760 --> 00:40:23.079
a press conference after being told that
he was covering the event far too well.
386
00:40:23.960 --> 00:40:31.239
These charges have since been dropped.
Essentially, the railroad is trying to
387
00:40:31.280 --> 00:40:37.679
cover up the damage done by the
spill rather than mitigated. Multiple class action
388
00:40:37.760 --> 00:40:44.079
lawsuits against the Norfolk Southern have been
filed citing the dangerous practice of precision railroading.
389
00:40:45.239 --> 00:40:52.880
This strategy maximizes profits by running longer, heavier trains as frequently as possible.
390
00:40:53.920 --> 00:40:59.800
While several new laws are being passed
by various government agencies across the country
391
00:40:59.800 --> 00:41:05.000
to control the railroad, the railroad
is effectively flipping them all the bird and
392
00:41:05.119 --> 00:41:09.880
insisting that they can make their own
emergency responds planned to derailments. It's deja
393
00:41:09.960 --> 00:41:15.000
vu all over again. At the
end of the day. The railroad is
394
00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:22.719
the prime example of what happens when
businesses have no government oversight, when they're
395
00:41:22.760 --> 00:41:29.280
allowed to make their own rules and
police themselves. The effects on the environment
396
00:41:29.360 --> 00:41:32.800
that the derailment in East Palestine,
Ohio has had will be felt for years
397
00:41:34.239 --> 00:41:40.960
and the consequences may not even be
known for decades. Now. Remember those
398
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:45.159
train operators that were trying to stop
the train in the beginning of this story.
399
00:41:46.800 --> 00:41:52.880
They later told the Federal Transportation Administration
that the alert came too late.
400
00:41:53.880 --> 00:41:59.880
The bearing on the wheel of the
twenty third car had already reached temperatures of
401
00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:06.159
over two hundred degrees fahrenheit before they
got the alert. It was too late
402
00:42:06.199 --> 00:42:12.239
to stop the train and keep it
from derailing. In thinking of that,
403
00:42:12.280 --> 00:42:15.559
the train was heavy and once it
got going, it was going to take
404
00:42:15.840 --> 00:42:24.280
miles of track to stop it.
That legislation that the Federal Transportation Safety Administration
405
00:42:24.400 --> 00:42:30.599
is trying to put through, the
one with the better breaking systems, Yeah,
406
00:42:30.679 --> 00:42:37.039
it may have prevented this derailment from
happening. And so would running fewer
407
00:42:37.039 --> 00:42:51.400
cars as slowly as possible. It's
ninety seconds to midnight, and corporate greed,
408
00:42:51.519 --> 00:42:57.199
mismanagement, and poor oversight are claiming
the lives of thousands of animals every
409
00:42:57.280 --> 00:43:04.760
day across the world through chemical spill. These were major instances, but we
410
00:43:04.840 --> 00:43:10.519
also need to consider deforestation, plastic
waste, pollution, car emissions, encroachment,
411
00:43:12.079 --> 00:43:16.840
and all the other ways that man
adversely affects wildlife. If we look
412
00:43:16.880 --> 00:43:22.480
at it all, we can see
why our wildlife populations are becoming extinct at
413
00:43:22.519 --> 00:43:30.079
alarming rates. Thank you for listening
to Cause of Death one hundred seconds to
414
00:43:30.119 --> 00:43:35.320
midnight. Please take a moment to
click on the subscribe button in your favorite
415
00:43:35.320 --> 00:43:42.000
podcast player, then go rate and
review the show. Your contributions keep this
416
00:43:42.079 --> 00:43:49.480
podcast going. Your continued support through
Patreon and Apple subscriptions is greatly appreciated.
417
00:43:50.440 --> 00:43:53.559
If you haven't headed over to check
out the subscriber feeds, please do so.
418
00:43:54.159 --> 00:44:00.239
There are a ton of perks when
you sign up, plus you help
419
00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:05.760
me pay for equipment, subscriptions,
white papers, research, editing music,
420
00:44:06.199 --> 00:44:12.679
and keeping my stomach from growling during
a recording. If you have questions or
421
00:44:12.719 --> 00:44:15.800
comments, or just want to say
hello, you can drop me a line
422
00:44:15.920 --> 00:44:20.880
at Jackie at Cause of Death one
hundred sex dot net. You can also
423
00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:24.000
head over to the website where you
can leave a voicemail, sign up for
424
00:44:24.119 --> 00:44:30.480
my mailing list, read the blog, and just generally catch up on all
425
00:44:30.519 --> 00:44:35.440
the HAPs at the podcast. Take
a look at the show notes for some
426
00:44:35.559 --> 00:44:40.519
really enlightening information on chemical spills and
their effects on wildlife and the environment.
427
00:44:43.360 --> 00:44:47.480
There will be a subscriber only episode
dropping within the week on the House that
428
00:44:47.719 --> 00:44:54.320
Jack built. This episode will explore
the ways that feral species can decimate native
429
00:44:54.400 --> 00:45:00.960
species in the environment and what we
can do about it. Season six of
430
00:45:01.000 --> 00:45:07.519
Who's Who Outside of the Zoo continues
in two weeks with rabbit hammorrhagic disease.
431
00:45:07.320 --> 00:45:13.599
You'll find out how this virus can
wipe out entire populations of wild and domestic
432
00:45:13.719 --> 00:46:07.320
rabbits once they become exposed. Until
then, don't buy any monopoly railroads.
433
00:46:10.559 --> 00:46:58.920
M bigger, bigger, bigger,
M
