BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

In East Palestine, EPA orders more cleanup, chemical testing

  • A rainbow-colored sheen can still be seen on the main creek
  • Residents who rely on the water remain concerned about its safety
  • EPA: Water data has been collected regularly since the derailment
FILE - A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, on Feb. 6, 2023. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw is set to testify before an Ohio Senate rail safety panel on Tuesday, April 18, more than two months after the fiery train derailment rocked the village of East Palestine. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE – A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, on Feb. 6, 2023. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw is set to testify before an Ohio Senate rail safety panel on Tuesday, April 18, more than two months after the fiery train derailment rocked the village of East Palestine. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (NewsNation) — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered Norfolk Southern to do additional cleanup in East Palestine creeks and conduct further chemical testing after the February trail derailment and chemical burn.

“On October 18, 2023, EPA ordered Norfolk Southern to conduct additional cleanup and sheen investigations focused on oily sheens and sediments in Sulphur Run and Leslie Run creeks in East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas,” the agency said in a statement.

Residents of East Palestine continue to live in fear months after the controlled chemical burn released vinyl chloride into the community.

Leslie Run, the main creek in the community, appears to still be loaded with chemicals, raising concerns among residents who rely on well water in the area.

In September, NewsNation investigative correspondent Rich McHugh and longtime local resident Rick Tsai went to the creek, where a rainbow-colored sheen appears when the ground is stirred up.

This sheen first showed up after a Feb. 3 train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals into the ground and air in East Palestine. At the time, Pittsburgh-based Big Pine Consultants concluded, based on results from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the exact chemicals may be butyl acrylate or ethylhexyl. Both compounds were reported to be in some of the rail cars and can cause skin irritation, eye irritation and respiratory irritation, according to the National Institutes of Health.

“Surface water data have been collected regularly since the derailment,” the EPA said Thursday. “While data indicate that surface water is no longer significantly impacted, disturbance of stream sediments can still result in the appearance of oily sheen at the water surface. Weekly surface water sampling and visual surface water inspections will continue.”

Ohio Train Derailment

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

59°F Sunny Feels like 59°
Wind
1 mph WNW
Humidity
37%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
47°F Clear to partly cloudy. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph NNE
Precip
9%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous