After the Ohio Train Derailment: Evacuations, Toxic Chemicals and Water Worries

Feb. 28, 2023


When a train derailed in the village of East Palestine on Feb. 3, it set off evacuation orders, a chemical scare and a federal investigation.


On Feb. 3, a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in eastern Ohio, igniting a fire that covered the town of East Palestine in smoke. Fearful of an explosion, the authorities carved out an evacuation zone and carried out a controlled release of toxic fumes to neutralize burning cargo inside some of the train cars.

Residents feared for their health as concerns mounted about the effect the derailment and the fire could have on the environment and the transportation network.

Here’s what to know about what happened, and what comes next.


What happened?

Around 9 p.m. on Feb. 3, a train derailed in East Palestine, a village of about 4,700 residents about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. There were 150 cars on the route from Madison, Ill., to Conway, Pa. The National Transportation Safety Board said that 38 cars derailed and a fire ensued, damaging another 12 cars.

The train, operated by Norfolk Southern, had been carrying chemicals and combustible materials, with vinyl chloride, a toxic flammable gas, being of most concern to investigators. Residents on both sides of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border were ordered to evacuate, as Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio raised alarms about a possible explosion.

On Feb. 6, the authorities released the toxic materials from five tankers, and the contents were diverted to a trench and burned off.


An initial report from the N.T.S.B. was released on Feb. 23. Although a wheel bearing had been heating up, the report said, an alarm did not sound to alert the crew to check a hot axle until just before the train derailed, raising questions about the safety measures used by the train’s operator.

“This was 100 percent preventable,” Jennifer L. Homendy, the agency’s chairwoman, said.

Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, visited East Palestine on Feb. 23 and promised support for the community.


There are concerns about air, soil and water pollution.

The Environmental Protection Agency said that about 20 rail cars were reported to have been carrying hazardous materials. Vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate and ethylene glycol monobutyl ethers were released into the air, surface soil and surface waters, it said.


The E.P.A. said on Feb. 12 that it had not detected contaminants at “levels of concern” in and around East Palestine, although residents might still smell odors. It said its testing, in more than 570 homes, had found no breaches of quality standards.

On Feb. 21, the E.P.A. ordered Norfolk Southern to identify and clean up contaminated soil and water; reimburse the E.P.A. for cleaning residences and businesses; attend public meetings and take other measures. If the company failed to complete the actions, the E.P.A. said it would “seek to compel Norfolk Southern to pay triple the cost” of the work.

States using water from the Ohio River took precautions.


The West Virginia subsidiary of American Water said on Feb. 12 that it had not detected any changes in the water at its Ohio River intake site. But it said that it had installed a secondary intake on the Guyandotte River in case an alternate source was needed and that it had enhanced its treatment processes.

The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility in Indiana, which draws water from the Ohio River, was also testing the waterway.

The spill affected about seven and a half miles of stream, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and killed an estimated 3,500 fish as of Feb. 8.

After the Ohio Train Derailment: Evacuations, Toxic Chemicals and Water Worries
When a train derailed in the village of East Palestine on Feb. 3, it set off evacuation orders, a chemical scare and a federal investigation.


Legal Action Ramps Up: Lawyers have poured into East Palestine since the train derailment, filing more than a dozen lawsuits so far on behalf of local residents.
Farmers Fear a ‘Forever Scar’: The train derailment has upended a region of Ohio where generations of families could afford to buy acres of land, raise livestock and plant gardens.
Cleanup Costs: The Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern, the operator of the derailed train, to clean up any resulting contamination and pay all the costs.
A Parade of Politicians: The train derailment has spawned conspiracy theories and contradictory narratives, with politicians from both parties parading through East Palestine to further their agendas.
On Feb. 21, the E.P.A. ordered Norfolk Southern to identify and clean up contaminated soil and water; reimburse the E.P.A. for cleaning residences and businesses; attend public meetings and take other measures. If the company failed to complete the actions, the E.P.A. said it would “seek to compel Norfolk Southern to pay triple the cost” of the work.

States using water from the Ohio River took precautions.



The West Virginia subsidiary of American Water said on Feb. 12 that it had not detected any changes in the water at its Ohio River intake site. But it said that it had installed a secondary intake on the Guyandotte River in case an alternate source was needed and that it had enhanced its treatment processes.

The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility in Indiana, which draws water from the Ohio River, was also testing the waterway.

The spill affected about seven and a half miles of stream, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and killed an estimated 3,500 fish as of Feb. 8.

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On Feb. 14, Tiffani Kavalec, the surface water division chief for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said that testing had detected two chemical contaminants in some Ohio River tributaries and that treatment processes should filter out the contaminants.

Mr. DeWine, a Republican, said on Feb. 15 that tests conducted by the state E.P.A. showed no contaminants in the municipal water system.

The federal E.P.A. administrator, Michael S. Regan, who visited East Palestine on Feb. 16, said bottled water should be used until tests of private wells were completed.

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a Democrat, said on Feb. 16 that independent testing had not detected “concerning air or water quality readings.”

Residents of East Palestine lost trust in officials and in Norfolk Southern, saying that no one has clearly communicated the scale of the disaster and the public health threats.

On Feb. 15, hundreds of residents asked officials at a meeting how such a disaster could be avoided and whether their water was safe. Representatives from Norfolk Southern declined to attend.

Mr. Regan said there were no plans to designate the area a Superfund site.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dispatched teams to East Palestine, and a state health clinic was opened there. The federal E.P.A. set up a hotline, and said that a “community welcome center” would open on March 1 to take questions and direct residents to services.


Residents were evacuated and face uncertainty.

Just after the derailment, 1,500 to 2,000 residents of East Palestine were told to evacuate. Schools and roads were closed.

On Feb. 6, Mr. DeWine extended the evacuation order to include anyone in a one-by-two-mile area surrounding East Palestine, including parts of Pennsylvania. On Feb. 8, his office said residents could return after air quality samples measured contaminants below levels of concern.

One of the evacuees, Ben Ratner, told CNN that he and members of his family had been extras in a 2022 movie adaptation of the 1985 Don DeLillo novel “White Noise.” In that story, a train derails and spills chemicals, causing an “airborne toxic event” that forces the evacuation of a small, Midwestern college town.

There have been no reports of injuries or deaths. Some residents shared images online of dead animals, while others said they smelled chemical odors or felt sick.

Legal action has ensued.

A federal class-action lawsuit filed on Feb. 15 accuses Norfolk Southern of making the situation worse when 1.1 million pounds of vinyl chloride were dumped during the release.

Two Pennsylvania residents have sued Norfolk Southern, seeking to force it to set up health monitoring and to pay for related care for residents within a 30-mile radius of the derailment, The Associated Press reported.

Overall, more than a dozen class-action lawsuits seeking damages from Norfolk Southern have been filed, WFMJ reported.

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Oke karena artikel dari wall street journal panjannnggg sekali sebaiknya di baca di sumber nya

Dan setelah di letakan di post sini terjadi beberapa kali double paste

Oke Gw nyerah edit nya

After the Ohio Train Derailment: Evacuations, Toxic Chemicals and Water Worries