Psychosomatic effects may be contributing to the symptoms of headaches, fatigue, or respiratory issues being reported by some residents of East Palestine, Ohio, following a hazardous chemical spill last month, experts say.
March 4, 2023, 2:56 PMPortions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, still on fire at mid-day Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.Psychosomatic effects may be contributing to the symptoms of headaches, fatigue, or respiratory issues being reported by some residents of East Palestine, Ohio, following a hazardousBut "psychosomatic" does not mean that the symptoms are made up, according to experts.
"If you're in the presence of something where there's a strong odor in the air, and you're concerned about the impact of it because you don't really understand the chemical that produce the odor, you probably start even breathing a little bit differently that can change your heart rate that can change all manner of physiological responses," Pamela Dalton, Ph.D., a researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, told ABC News.
Researchers have done studies where they have misled people about the danger of a chemical they are smelling and shown that they will experience symptoms under those conditions. In this photo taken with a drone, portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed the previous night in East Palestine, Ohio, remain on fire at mid-day on Feb. 4, 2023.MORE: Norfolk Southern commits $300K to East Palestine school district, reimburses fire department $825K
"I can generate these symptoms so easily in an experimental situation and that's in a situation where I've already told people…they've signed an informed consent and I'm telling them, I'm not going to hurt you, nothing about this is dangerous, and they still come out of the experience complaining about the same constellation of symptoms," Dalton said.
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