By Karl Kastenbaum

Members of the Ohio National Guard prepare to enter an incident area East Palestine on Feb. 7. Photo credit: Ohio National Guard.

A train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio has caused an environmental disaster. Toxic chemicals that were being transported on the train are now infesting the area. Locals are outraged and suing over the incident. 

The derailment happened on February 3, at 8:55 p.m. It was caused by an overheated wheel bearing on the train’s 23rd car. The train derailed, then proceeded to catch on fire, which spread toxic smoke all over the surrounding area. The train was carrying vinyl chloride, which is used to make plastics, along with other highly toxic chemicals that can cause cancer. The soil in East Palestine was tested after the derailment and contains dioxin levels much higher than the exposure threshold. The chemicals could linger in the area and stay inside the human body for years. Authorities claim that the air is safe to breathe and the water is drinkable, but locals are claiming that they have noticed a difference in wildlife behavior in the area. 

The train was owned by Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation. After the incident, Norfolk Southern is trying to find new ways to take safety precautions. A March 8 news article from CNBC stated that “Norfolk Southern announced a plan this week to study hot bearing detectors, including a reevaluation of the distance between them, and adding as many as 200 hot box detectors with the first installed near East Palestine. It also has implemented new safety measures related to train length.”

Some residents who lived near the crash site have been diagnosed with bronchitis and other health conditions that they believe were caused by the chemicals. According to People Magazine’s Vanessa Etienne, “Melissa Blake, who lives within a mile of the crash site, told NBC News that she started coughing up gray mucus and was struggling to breathe two days after the derailment. She was quickly diagnosed with “acute bronchitis due to chemical fumes.” People from a nearby company have been reported as becoming sick and unable to work. According to Etienne, “Additionally, five of the 10 workers at manufacturing company CeramFab, located next to the crash site, became sick after the derailment.” It is still unknown if the sicknesses are directly caused by the crash.

Smoke from the derailment. Photo credit: User thunderlips36 via Wikimedia Commons.

An March 9 article from The Washington Post stated that “The chief executive of a railroad company that operated a train that derailed and caused a release of toxic chemicals in February told the Senate on Thursday that he is ‘deeply sorry’ for the impact on East Palestine, Ohio, and he is personally committed to ‘make this right.’” Locals and politicians are claiming that Norfolk Southern has done a terrible job of dealing with the situation. 

Along with vinyl chloride, the train was carrying polyethylene, dipropylene glycol, propylene glycol, semolina, polyvinyl, ethylhexyl acrylate, petroleum lubricating oil, isobutylene, butyl acrylate, steel sheets, cotton balls, and frozen vegetables, which were all burned after the derailment. 

Locals and environmental activists are outraged over the lack of action Norfolk Southern is taking for the situation. Norfolk Southern has been sued by the state of Ohio for the derailment. They claimed it was one of many incidents involving Norfolk Southern. The Justice Department has become involved and sued Norfolk Southern for the derailment. The U.S. Department of Justice said it’s seeking to hold the company accountable for “unlawfully polluting the nation’s waterways and to ensure it pays the full cost of the environmental cleanup,”

Real estate values in East Palestine have been severely diminished. Locals are saying that it is extremely difficult to sell their homes now, as no one wants to move into the infested area. The Washington Post stated, “a pungent odor remains in the air in East Palestine, and some residents have complained of rashes, runny eyes and other symptoms.”​​ Locals are worried their town of 5,000 residents and homes will be abandoned by the government due to the chemical exposure.