A strange powder has been observed in the sky, coating cars in three states across the country. People on social media reported seeing the dust-like substance in the air and on cars in Maryland, northern Virginia, and West Virginia, on Friday.
The strange reports have prompted the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to investigate the powder. They will work with state and local agencies to collect and analyze samples of the substance.
Residents in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, which is roughly 100 miles west of Washington, D.C., reported seeing the powder in multiple counties late Thursday night. The Maryland Department of the Environment said that the powder likely came from Texas and New Mexico.
But they said a wind shift has since brought clean air from Canada. Monitoring systems recorded good air quality on Friday, the agency said. Dust from storms in the two southwestern states traveled east through Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky on Thursday, satellite images captured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association reportedly showed.
A West Virginian state lab will test the powder to see if it’s related to the recent dust storms in the Midwest, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection said.
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Terry Fletcher said that there’s no indication that the dust-like substance is related to the Ohio train derailment.
He said that the Northern Panhandles hasn’t had any air quality problems since the toxic train crash on February 3. It’s been almost a month since a cargo train carrying hazardous materials such as vinyl chloride, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.
While environmental officials continue to say that air quality levels in the area are normal, residents have complained about health issues that they worry are related to the crash. Some of these health issues include headaches, rashes, nausea, and sore throats. (READ MORE)
