Oily water by East Palestine, Ohio train derailment 

Disturbing video shows what appears to be a contaminated creek in East Palestine, Ohio, after the recent derailment of a train there carrying toxic materials.

“Even MORE proof that the EPA is LYING to the people of East Palestine,” journalist Nick Sortor wrote on Twitter alongside footage he posted of a woman tossing a small log into the water, causing an oily sheen to rise to the surface.

The widely shared clip — which has garnered about 9.4 million views as of Friday morning — comes as EPA Administrator Michael Regan visited the area Thursday to reassure residents that the water is safe for drinking and that the air is suitable to breathe. 

“I’m asking they trust the government,” Regan said of local residents. “I know that’s hard. We know there’s a lack of trust. We’re testing for everything that was on that train.”

The Norfolk Southern freight train — which involved about 150 cars, including 20 that contained hazardous materials — derailed near the small Ohio town of about 5,000 people on Feb. 3.

Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement Wednesday that “new water testing results have been returned to the Ohio EPA.

“These results show no detection of contaminants in raw water from the five wells that feed into East Palestine’s municipal water system,” the governor claimed.

“Test results from the combined, treated water from all five wells also showed no detection of contaminants associated with the derailment. With these tests results, Ohio EPA is confident that the municipal water is safe to drink,” the statement said.

“East Palestine’s municipal water system, which provides drinking water for most area residents, takes in water from five wells that are located approximately one mile from the derailment site,” it said.

The governor added that “municipal wells are at least 56 feet below the surface and are covered by a solid steel casing that protects the water from contamination.”

He said the water is treated before the public is allowed to drink it.

The video of the discolored water was posted Thursday.

The toxic chemicals that spilled from the train killed thousands of fish, and residents have complained of headaches, irritated eyes and finding dying or sick pets and wildlife since the disaster.

Regan said that anyone who is afraid of being in their home should seek testing from the government.

“People have been unnerved. They’ve been asked to leave their homes,” the administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.

At least five lawsuits have been filed against Norfolk Southern, which has announced that it is creating a $1 million fund to help the community while continuing to remove contaminants and monitor air quality.

“We are here and will stay here for as long as it takes to ensure your safety and to help East Palestine recover and thrive,” company president and CEO Alan Shaw wrote in a letter to the community.

The White House said federal health and emergency response teams and workers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will go to East Palestine.

“We understand the residents are concerned — as they should be —- and they have questions. That’s all understandable,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “And we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

Five of the train’s cars contained vinyl chloride, a carcinogen that becomes a deadly gas at room temperature, which is considered 68 to 72 degrees. Additional chemicals on the train were released into the air, soil and water supply, including ethylene glycol, monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene.

The chemicals pose health risks including cancers but usually only if a person is exposed to a very concentrated level or on a long-term basis.

Authorities burned tons of hazardous chemicals to prevent an explosion.

With Post wires