Numerous employees who worked on cleaning up the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year have gotten sick as a result of their exposure to dangerous chemicals, per a new report that has been released.
The findings were not issued to the public last spring, even though residents had concerns about the potential health effects of exposure to the toxins that spilled and burned after the crash that took place on February 3, 2023.
According to the report, which was obtained by The Associated Press, workers who reported headaches and nausea while shooting compressed air into the creek bed, which releases chemicals from the sediment and water, were sent back to their hotels to rest. The workers’ symptoms described in the report are consistent with what Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers going door-to-door in town had reported shortly after the derailment.
Since the exposure, residents have also reported unexplained rashes, asthma, and other respiratory issues, along with serious diseases such as male breast cancer.
The creek cleanup continued for some time after the derailment, but after nearly three weeks, another worker became sick, which led to the operation being halted altogether. While there have been other cleanup projects since then, they’ve stopped using high-pressure air knife tools, which caused the chemicals to leak, according to experts.
Independent toxicologist George Thompson, who has been following the aftermath of the Ohio wreck, told The Associated Press the cleanup contractors, overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency, should have been aware that the work they were conducting would release chemicals from the sediment into the air and water. This is reportedly what Environmental and Scientific Consulting Services (CTEH) had been monitoring while the project was underway, yet, with one of the main streams, Sulfur Run, going directly through town and in culverts under homes and offices, Thompson said those chemicals could have contaminated buildings.
The report from CTEH was submitted to Unified Command, the group overseeing disaster response, which included federal, state, and local officials along with Norfolk Southern, but no one released it despite the considerable public interest and concern. The topic only made headlines when CDC workers began experiencing sickness as well.
Meanwhile, residents of East Palestine have until Aug. 22 to decide whether to accept up to $25,000 as part of a $600 million class action settlement with the railroad to compensate them for any future health issues, despite not yet knowing how large these costs will be exactly. The overall cleanup effort in the area is not expected to be finished until later this year.
This summer’s completion of the NTSB investigation into the incident has brought renewed hope that Congress may pass a rail safety bill following last year’s crash resulted into severe pollution, but the only action taken so far has been a House hearing on the subject last month.
