Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, are still concerned about pollution from hazardous materials and continued exposure to contaminants three months after a 150-car freight train derailed in the area.
Toxic chemicals were released into the air and water, forcing officials to order a controlled burn to avoid an explosion. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has informed Norfolk Southern, the operator of the derailed train, that it must pay for the cleanup and weekly water sampling in the area, including screening for vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, and ethylhexanol.
These are all toxic chemicals that were released during the derailment. The agency has made progress in removing contaminants from the site since the incident and is monitoring local waterways for contamination.
According to the EPAs most recent update, published on May 1, an estimated 35,111 tons of contaminated soil have been shipped from the site to be stored at hazardous waste facilities across the US, and some 13,802,301 gallons of liquid waste have been sent to these sites. The agency has also conducted more than 630 indoor air screenings and tested 493 private wells for contamination. However, residents and community groups say their concerns are only increasing with time.
Residents have expressed concerns about water and soil contamination, with many reporting mysterious rashes, coughs, sore throats, and other symptoms in the wake of the incident. Amanda Kiger, the executive director of River Valley Organizing, an Ohio-based community group working on behalf of area residents, said her group is continuing to see new reports from residents in East Palestine and other nearby towns who have come forward with symptoms apparently related to the derailment, including those who have tested positive for vinyl chloride.
In March, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced a federal lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over the derailment. The 58-count complaint, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, accused Norfolk Southern of violating a range of federal and state laws, including counts of negligence, trespassing, and multiple breaches of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
Norfolk Southern has pledged to enhance its safety operations and published a new six-point safety plan aimed at responding to the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation, which concluded that an overheated axle was to blame for the derailment. Norfolk Southern president and CEO Alan Shaw said last week in testimony before an Ohio rail safety committee, "I pledge that we won't be finished until we make it right."
However, concerns have been raised about how quickly the EPA is getting rid of the contaminated materials. In March, the EPA notified states that they cannot block shipments of hazardous waste from East Palestine, after multiple state leaders and federally licensed disposal sites in Oklahoma, Texas, and Michigan refused to accept the contaminated materials. Under EPA supervision, Norfolk Southern began testing for dioxins, which can be created by the burning of certain toxic substances such as vinyl chloride.
The speed and scope of testing have come under scrutiny by some in the area. In March, more than 100 community groups in Ohio and Pennsylvania called on the EPA to take the lead on testing, rather than Norfolk Southern, and called for more transparency into the process.
Kiger said, "One of the protocols that theyre using [for dioxin and contaminant testing] is that if they see debris, they test there. Thats a problem for the Ohio River Valley in springtime, she added a time of year when there traditionally is lots of snow and rainfall. The debris and the dirt that they would be looking for in the ash is now in the ground or washed away, which also pushes those dioxins deeper. So there needs to be a better protocol about how they're testing."
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