East Palestine Train Disaster
East Palestine, Ohio 03/02/2023 8:55pm EST
On this date, a small town on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania was devastated by one of the worst chemical spills in recent American history, especially with regards to the mainland United States. The train departed Madison on February 1, and had suffered at least one mechanical failure before the derailment. At around 8:55 pm EST on February 3, 2023, 51 cars derailed on the east side of East Palestine, near the border with Pennsylvania. 49 of the cars ended up in a derailment pile, which caught fire and burned for several days. 11 of the derailed cars were tank cars that subsequently expelled 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) of hazardous materials.
Hazardous Contents
The hazardous materials included chloroethene (vinyl chloride), butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, isobutylene, combustible liquids, and benzene residue. Several railcars burned for more than two days with nearly 70 emergency agencies from Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania mobilised in response.
Although five cars containing vinyl chloride remained intact following the crash, the relief valve on one of the cars had malfunctioned. In an effort to prevent further explosions, Norfolk Southern emergency crews, with EPA consultation and at the direction of Unified Command under the East Palestine fire chief, conducted a controlled release and burn of the five tanks of vinyl chloride into the air. Small shaped charges were used to breach the tank cars, and the vinyl chloride was allowed to flow into a trench, where it was ignited by flares. The burn caused black clouds to form above East Palestine, and released phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air.
Environmental and Health Concerns
Neil Donahue, a chemistry professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), expressed concern about the potential production of dioxins during the burning of vinyl chloride at East Palestine. Meanwhile, Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health, worried more about residual vinyl chloride. Gaseous pollutants dissipate quickly in the air, but dioxins are persistent.
On February 6, governors of East Palestine ordered the mandatory evacuation of all residents within a 1-by-2-mile (1.6 by 3.2 km) area of the crash site. Officials in both states went door-to-door to evacuate residents. The evacuation was lifted on February 9 after the EPA reported that the air inside and outside the evacuation zone had returned to normal levels. Although toxicants were detected at the derailment site, they were not detected outside the area. The Ohio EPA also reported that the drinking water was safe and showed that vinyl chloride, benzene, some chlorinated organic compounds, and other VOCs were not detected.
One year on from the disaster it is believed that the derailment at East Palestine potentially killed more than 43,000 fish, crustaceans, amphibians and other marine animals. A truly shocking environmental impact and deeply concerning for the marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
By the Numbers
The clean-up efforts have been continuous and thorough over the past 20+ months.
- 176,000 tons–more than 350 million pounds–of contaminated soil
- 201 drums of miscellaneous material
- 49,402,284 gallons of wastewater
- 6.2 million gallons of wastewater treated on-site
- 28,000 air samples
- 233 sediment samples
- 6,232 soil samples (Appendices D & E)
- 1,025 groundwater samples
- 3,700 surface water samples
- 1,309 private well samples
- 288 drinking water samples
As of January 2024, Norfolk Southern has committed $4.3 million to provide enhanced filtration to East Palestine’s drinking water.
In June 2024, an analysis of precipitation and pollution data from rain and snow samples by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program revealed that “extreme concentrations of multiple pollutants”, including chloride, and “exceptionally high” pH levels relative to historical levels were present over a widespread area, suggesting an area of impact from the accident and subsequent fire covering 1.4 million km2 and including portions of 16 US states
In September 2024, Federal Judge Benita Person ruled a final approval on the $600 million (US) that Norfolk Southern offered as settlement for a class-action suit on the train derailment at East Palestine.
For more information on the incident and subsequent fallout, as well as specific reports, sampling and regulations visit:
