On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, OH, that contained 50 rail cars, 10 with hazardous chemicals and 5 rail cars worth of the dangerous chemical Vinyl Chloride. Just hours after the derailment occurred, the Environmental Protection Agency arrived along with Norfolk Southern engineers, Department of Transportation officials, and Federal Emergency Management Agency teams responded to the scene and decided the best course of action was to burn the 5 rail cars containing Vinyl Chloride slowly, to prevent a large explosion due to the chemical’s highly explosive nature.

Vinyl Chloride is an extremely dangerous health risk towards the long term health of citizens living in East Palestine. The National Cancer Institute reported that Vinyl Chloride increased the risk of liver, brain, lung, lymphoma, and leukemia cancers. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry stated in their public health statement, “Studies using pregnant animals showed that breathing high levels of vinyl chloride (5,000 ppm) can harm unborn baby animals. Animal studies also show that vinyl chloride can produce more miscarriages early in pregnancy and decrease weight and delay skeletal development in fetuses.”

Vinyl Chloride is extremely dangerous towards the environment, because it releases dioxins, a dirty dozen organic pollutants (POP) that is poisonous. The Republican Senator from Ohio, James David Vance, was seen in a video posted to his Twitter account, where he walked along a small creek in East Palestine moving soil around, spotting fluorescent colored chemicals throughout the water.  The director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Mary Mertz, stated in a press conference that there are an estimated 3,500 dead fish, and four tributaries that have been contaminated over 7.5 miles of the Ohio River, but are contained and not affecting the water supply. 

Data collected by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency shows that there were high levels of n-Butyl specifically near the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. In addition to Vinyl Chloride, a report by The United States Environmental Protection Agency stated that chemicals ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, butyl acrylate, and isobutylene were present in the containers that had been breached by the derailment. 

On February 3, city officials issued a one mile evacuation distance surrounding the derailment, which caused only a few dozen people to move. Many citizens living in East Palestine have created social media posts regarding their fear for safety, and have also evacuated the area . On February 8, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine released an update regarding the evacuation. He made clear that it is safe to stay home, but advises citizens to take safety precautions. “Those with private water wells are encouraged to use bottled water, which can be supplied by Norfolk Southern,” DeWine said.