Lawyer warns toxic Ohio train derailment could lead to "explosion of cancers": NYP

NEW YORK, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Residents of East Palestine should fear the toxic train derailment that's rocked the small town in the U.S. state of Ohio, because it's an "explosion of cancers waiting to happen," a lawyer who represents sickened 9/11 victims told the New York Post (NYP) on Wednesday.

Attorney Michael Barasch issued the dire warning after the devastating Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine exposed locals to a slew of spilled hazardous materials, sparking fears about the safety of air and drinking water.

"Be afraid, very afraid," Barasch said of the potential health risks that lie ahead. "This is an explosion of cancers waiting to happen. And you won't see it for years -- sometimes 5, 10, 20 years. This is scary stuff."

The attorney, whose firm has represented tens of thousands of 9/11 victims, including many diagnosed with cancer years after consuming toxic dust at Ground Zero, said he didn't believe the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) assurances the air and drinking water were once again safe after the toxic spill.

"It sent shivers down my spine when the EPA told residents of East Palestine the air was safe to breathe," Barasch said. "That's exactly what EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman told downtown New Yorkers (after 9/11). It wasn't safe at all."

"If the World Trade Center attacks taught us anything, it's that 9/11 didn't end on 9/11," he added.