Three months after a 150-car freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling toxic chemicals into the nearby air and water and forcing officials to order a controlled burn to avoid an explosion, residents are worried about pollution from the hazardous materials and continued exposure to contaminants.
Here's an overview of where things stand.
EPA's perspective
The Environmental Protection Agency has told Norfolk Southern, the operator of the derailed train, that it must foot the bill 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 — all toxic chemicals that were released during the derailment.
The agency said it has also made progress in removing contaminants from the site since the Feb. 3 derailment and is monitoring local waterways for contamination.
To date, EPA has shipped an estimated 35,111 tons of contaminated soil from the site to be stored at hazardous waste facilities across the U.S., and sent some 13,802,301 gallons of liquid waste to these sites, according to the agency’s most recent update, published May 1.
It has also conducted more than 630 indoor air screenings and tested 493 private wells for contamination.
Still, residents and other community groups say their concerns are only increasing with time.
Local fears
In the weeks and months since the derailment, 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 Feb. 3 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.
“We have folks with lung scarring. We have folks with rashes ... And one of the things that bothers us the most is that these things are happening outside of that one-mile radius that they are considering the ‘contamination zone,’” she told the Washington Examiner in an interview.
“East Palestine was ground zero, but the impact of the explosion has far-reaching, multi-state repercussions,” she added.
In March, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced a federal lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over the derailment.
The 58-count complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, accused Norfolk Southern of violating a range of federal and state laws.
Among them are counts of negligence, trespassing, and multiple breaches of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
"Ohio shouldn’t have to bear the tremendous financial burden of Norfolk Southern’s glaring negligence. The fallout from this highly preventable incident may continue for years to come, and there’s still so much we don’t know about the long-term effects on our air, water, and soil," Yost said in filing the lawsuit.
Norfolk Southern's response
In the wake of the derailment, Norfolk Southern has pledged to enhance its safety operations.
It also 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.
"I pledge that we won't be finished until we make it right," Norfolk Southern president and CEO Alan Shaw said last week in testimony before an Ohio rail safety committee.
Ongoing problems
How quickly EPA is getting rid of the contaminated materials is also a concern.
In March, 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.
But 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.
“One of the protocols that they’re using [for dioxin and contaminant testing] is that if they see debris, they test there,” Kiger told the Examiner. That’s a problem for the Ohio River Valley in springtime, she added — a time of year when there traditionally is lots of snow and rainfall.
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“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,” Kiger said. “So there needs to be a better protocol about how they're testing."