East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment
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EPA is committed to protecting the health and safety of the East Palestine, Ohio community.
EPA personnel have been on site since the onset of the train derailment, supporting local and state partners as they lead on-the-ground response efforts.
EPA’s Response to False Claims about ASPECT
The recent claims about EPA’s ASPECT response in East Palestine are false and mischaracterize the Agency’s commitment to scientific integrity and transparency. EPA set up robust air monitoring in the immediate aftermath of the derailment to ensure the community and surrounding areas were protected. ASPECT was one component of EPA’s comprehensive air monitoring and sampling network. ASPECT’s response in East Palestine followed standard operating procedures, consistent with previous ASPECT responses. Over the course of the response, EPA has collected over 115 million air monitoring data points and over 28,000 air samples. Since the evacuation was lifted, no sustained chemicals of concern have been found in the air. EPA’s air sampling data is available to the public on EPA’s web page.
Latest Update: May 10, 2024
- Sediment cleanup at the upper end of Sulphur Run was completed on May 3. On May 6, cleanup progressed into residential and commercial areas on Sulphur Run and will continue for several weeks. Work hours will be 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.; however, use of noisy equipment will be limited to 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in residential areas.
- Areas on Sulphur Run requiring further attention have been isolated using containment and sorbent boom. A full creek re-assessment will be conducted after all impacted areas of Leslie and Sulphur Runs are cleaned.
- The return of natural water flow back into Sulphur Run is underway and is complete at three of 15 areas. This work will continue over several months. To prepare for rainwater and water from the upstream wetlands and derailment zone areas to flow naturally again to Sulphur Run, the north and south ditches alongside the tracks and adjacent areas will be sampled. Robust testing under EPA and Ohio EPA guidance, oversight, and approval will ensure the soil around and within the ditches have no remaining contamination. EPA released a short video describing this process.
- Read the entire update: Updates from East Palestine, May 10, 2024 (pdf) (146.7 KB)
- EPA’s Welcome Center is open by appointment only. To make an appointment, please call EPA’s information line at 330-775-6517. Questions can also be sent to r5_eastpalestine@epa.gov.
- Read the most recent monthly East Palestine newsletter, released on April 4. View previous editions of the newsletters on this webpage.
Response Videos
Background
At about 8:55 PM ET on February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, about a quarter-mile west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line.
Twenty of the affected cars contained hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol, ethylhexyl acrylate, butyl acrylate and isobutylene.
More Background InformationUnified Command:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency
- Village of East Palestine
- Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
- Norfolk Southern Corporation
Cooperating and Assisting Agencies include:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Ohio Emergency Management Agency
- Ohio Department of Health
- Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
- Beaver County Emergency Management Agency
- Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
- Pennsylvania Department of Health
- Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
- Ohio Department of Agriculture
- West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Resources for Residents
Learn more about all resources available for East Palestine area residents
- EPA Information Line: 330-775-6517
- EPA Community Welcome Center in East Palestine: 25 North Market St.,
- By appointment only
- Information Repository: East Palestine Memorial Public Library, 309 N. Market Street, East Palestine, Ohio 44413.
M-Th. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fri-Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.