Ohio Train Derailment

By Anna Segelken

 

 
This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.

 

East Palestine is a small town in Ohio with a population of 4,739 people. It was founded as an industrial manufacturing town in 1828, and is now primarily in the orcharding industry. On February 3rd, a 38-car Norfolk Southern freight train derailed as it was passing through the town. Eleven cars on this train were carrying hazardous materials which spilled out when the train derailed. The substances were quite flammable, creating a high risk of explosion, which would have decimated the town. To prevent a disaster, emergency crews drained the substances into a trench and burned them off, but this created a massive black plume of harmful phosgene gas and hydrogen chloride in the air.

Texas A&M University has analyzed data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and found elevated levels of nine chemicals that may be of health concern to residents of East Palestine, Ohio. However, state and federal agencies maintain that the crash site is safe, and water and air levels are “normal”. Rail workers are falling ill on the job, union leaders said in a letter sent to federal, state and municipal officials. Some locals say they began experiencing headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and bloody noses after the crash. One resident experienced another type of symptom- see this video for more.

To prevent further train derailments, a group of senators introduced The Railway Safety Act of 2023, but victims are not satisfied. A union letter criticizes Norfolk Southern and the broader American railway industry for cutting railroad jobs and putting profits over rail and employee safety. All parties agree that change needs to be made, so that a disaster like this will not happen again.

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