4 things to know about the Ohio train derailment, burning toxic chemicals

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, February 14, 2023

1. What happened

A train derailment occurred at approximately 8:55 p.m. Eastern time on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, The Environmental Protection Agency alerted on its website.

“Norfolk Southern reported the incident at 10:53 PM ET to the National Response Center. At that time, it was reported that an unknown number of the 150 train cars had derailed, but 20 of the cars were listed as carrying hazardous materials. Approximately 50 cars were affected by the derailment with the rest being uncoupled and removed from the scene.”

In the early morning hours of Feb. 4, East Palestine Interim Village Manager Traci Spratt issued an evacuation order for all residents living within a 1-mile radius from the scene. Spratt’s evacuation order explained that 50 train cars were already on fire. The evacuation order was then followed by an emergency declaration by East Palestine Mayor Trent Conway later that morning.

An update shared the afternoon of Feb. 4 indicated that “the chemical that is burning is called vinyl chloride” and assured residents that “the safety features on the rail car in question are operating correctly.”

A frequently-asked-questions page compiled by the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency and published on Feb. 5 told residents of East Palestine that their health was not at risk, adding: “short-term exposure to low levels of substances associated with the derailment does not present a long-term health risk to residents.”

The document also insisted that “vinyl chloride and other substances associated with the derailment exist in the air as a vapor,” meaning they “evaporate quickly and do not absorb into household materials.” However, it warned that “some of the substances associated with the derailment may have spilled into Sulphur Run,” noting that water sampling was being conducted there.

“All personnel on the train were evacuated and remain safe,” the agency asserted. “Local, state, and federal responders and [Norfolk Southern] are on-site responding to the development. Cars involved in the derailment contained vinyl chloride, combustible liquids, butyl acrylate, benzene residue cars (rail cars that previously contained benzene), and nonhazardous materials such as waste, plastic pellets, malt liquors, and lube oil.”