Damage from a massive train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, spread far beyond the initial wreckage site, spewing “hazardous” pollution across 16 states, according to a newly released study.
On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine – a village on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania – sending toxic chemicals into the area’s air, soil, rivers and lakes, according to a study published in Environmental Research There are letters.
In total, pollution from the wreckage and subsequent controlled burning of several train cars spread across 16 states in the Midwest, Northeast and South of the US, reaching 540,000 square miles or 14% of the US land area, according to the study.
Researchers estimate that 110 million residents, or a third of the country’s population, are affected by pollution.
Wreckage from a Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, February 20, 2023.
Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE
Eleven of the derailed cars were transporting hazardous materials, five of which contain vinyl chloride, a colorless gas that is highly volatile produced for commercial use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes for Health, at the time.
Some cars also carry ethyl acrylate and isobutylene, which are considered highly toxic and possibly carcinogenic, the agency reported.
Three days after the initial accident, officials authorized the release and burning of vinyl chloride in five tanker cars that were launched, “because of the fear of the explosion of one or all of these cars,” according to the study, stating that the cars were carrying 115,580 gallons of flammable gas.
Road signs stop traffic near the scene of a train crash on February 14, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.
Angelo Merendino/Getty Images, FILE
A large ball of fire and black smoke filled with debris can be seen coming out of the derailment site during a controlled fire. This has led to concerns from residents about the potential negative health effects of the fires.
In a study published on Wednesday, researchers analyzed rain and snow water samples collected in 260 sites from the state surrounding the derailment week (January 31) and the week after (Feb 14).
“Our measurements indicate a large area of ​​impact from the Midwest through the Northeast and possibly Canada, and possibly as far south as North Carolina,” according to the study.
Researchers found that “very high” levels of Chloride and pH were found in northern Pennsylvania and along the US-Canada border, compared to historical data.
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and almost all sites in New York were marked as soot ash and dirt in the samples, according to the study.
This drone photo shows part of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Feb. 3, in East Palestine, Ohio, still burning Feb. 4, 2023.
Gene J. Puskar/AP, FILE
Pollutants in the air reached southern states including Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky, according to the study.
The researchers found that 19 sites had at least one chemical compound in the 99th percentile, while eight sites had four or more compounds in the 99th percentile.
“The impact of the fire is greater in scale and scope than the initial prediction, and is likely due to the rise of the fire itself entraining pollutants into the atmosphere,” researchers wrote.
After the derailment, Dr. Erin Haynes, chair of the University of Kentucky’s Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, surveyed approximately 400 adults in the East Palestine region about the health effects of the disaster.
Haynes found that three out of four residents experienced health impacts following the derailment and more than half of residents reported their condition continued through the fall of 2023.
Nose and eye irritation, coughing and wheezing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes and feeling weak and tired are among the symptoms reported, according to Haynes.
In April 2024, Norfolk Southern agreed to a $600 million settlement to settle a class-action lawsuit related to the train derailment.
