On February 3, 2023, a freight train with 150 cars and three locomotives derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Though nobody was hurt in the crash, the train released fires and toxic chemicals, resulting in the evacuation of thousands in the nearby vicinity. On February 5, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that the derailment may have been caused by a defective axle on one of the cars and later announced a total of 20 cars were carrying hazardous materials, of which 10 derailed.
Three days after the incident, officials decided the best course of action was to ignite the derailed cars on fire in a controlled burn to prevent any future, hazardous explosions from occurring. This burning resulted in an ominous black column of smoke rising high into the air—the now well-known image that has been spreading online. Then, on February 8, Governor Mike DeWine allowed residents to return home. Many people, however, did not return to the town in fear of health risks, which only mounted after the burning and release of chemicals into the air.
The company that this train belonged to is Norfolk Southern, a major transporter of freight across the Eastern and Central US. In a statement, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw described the company’s efforts to respond to the emergency, which included work to clean up the spill, the creation of a Family Assistance Center, and widespread water, air, and soil testing. Still, fears of downplayed reports on the true danger of the accident, as well as complaints about insufficient compensation for East Palestine residents, have become widespread since the crash.
The company did not attend East Palestine’s town hall, leading to growing resentment and distrust from the residents. Norfolk Southern outlined security risks as the reason they did not attend. Afterwards, Shaw visited the town and justified the controversial controlled burning as a necessary step to prevent a worse scenario. Just five days after the incident, the company repaired the train tracks to allow trains to run through the derailment area, leading to further outrage. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that the tracks were prematurely replaced since the soil underneath is still contaminated. Shaw responded to this with a promise that Norfolk Southern would clean this polluted soil.
Because testing of this community’s water, air, and soil is being run in tandem with Norfolk Southern, residents do not trust the results, which state that the air and water is free of chemicals. This mistrust is furthered by the clawing, chemical stench hanging over the town and the hundreds of dead fish in nearby streams. Thus, individuals are paying up to $900 to call in contractors to test their properties. Costs of these tests, compounded with the money individuals are spending to clean or replace contaminated items, have added up. This incident has especially affected those of lower income since they cannot afford extra testing.
One of the main questions that arises from the derailment is the environmental effects. The primary concern is the release of vinyl chloride, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said was being emitted from the train during the early days before the burn was put out. Vinyl chloride, which is used in pipes, utensils and other plastic resins, is extremely hazardous and has been correlated with several liver, brain, and lung cancers, as well as lymphoma and leukemia. Other chemicals emitted included phosgene and hydrochloric acid, which are the culprits of the rancid smell. Both these cause chemical burns, eye irritation, and long-term harm to the lungs. In fact, phosgene was the chemical used during WWI-era chemical warfare. All of these chemicals can be inhaled or enter a house’s water supply if the waterways in the nearby area are contaminated. Many farmers have reported sudden illness and death in their livestock. Even more worrying is that East Palestinian residents are getting sick. Their symptoms include coughing, throat pain, eye pain, headaches, nausea, rashes, and lethargy. Despite this, NOAA, the EPA, and Norfolk Southern staunchly insist that all water, soil, and air tests are coming back normal.
From an environmental perspective, despite the harmful effects of the crash, rail is actually one of the most environmentally-friendly ways for transportation over land. The transport sector is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 33% of US emissions in 2019, but rail produces a mere 2% of this sector’s emissions. This is much lower compared with the significant emissions from road and air transport. While most trains still run on diesel, they are still a much more environmentally-friendly option compared to trucks and planes. In fact, diesel is actually better for the environment, generally producing more energy and with similar, or lower, emissions than gasoline.
There is a historical precedent for train derailments, too, but roadway accidents are by far the most common type of transport incident. Serious accidents included the June 27, 2022 derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Missouri, which killed four people. Similar crashes happen for freight trains too despite not always making headlines. Still, in 2020, over 5.2 million highway accidents occurred, compared with around 7,400 rail accidents. Ultimately, trains aren’t going anywhere because of their many benefits. Instead, increased precautions as well as more transparent handling of dangerous situations like this one are needed.
New video footage from Salem, Ohio, 20 miles away from East Palestine, shows a burning axel on the train sparking flames down the train cars. The fact that this footage was gone unnoticed on that one fateful night raises questions on the safety of this train system. If we take a step back, three months ago, Norfolk Southern was trying to lobby against the NTSB’s new legislation that every train must have two crew members to better respond to emergencies such as these. In an effort to cut costs, Norfolk Southern was making major job cutbacks and lowering their inspection time to less than a minute to streamline their transport of cargo, thereby jeopardizing safety. They were in no true financial insecurity to justify their cutbacks, earning $3 million last year, coupled with increasing derailments. While large corporations such as Norfolk Southern will inevitably try to move goods at the lowest cost possible, unnecessarily low safety requirements will inevitably produce more long-term damage than economic benefit.
The enforcement of such regulation, too, is extremely important. President Trump’s reversal of regulatory laws requiring electronic braking systems has widely been used as an example of failed legislation. Even still, federal officials informed The Lever that special exemption rules would have meant trains carrying dangerous materials—like the one in East Palestine—would not have been placed under such safety requirements anyways. Despite high-level political controversy, the impact of industry lobbyists is what really remains the critical problem in increasing the general safety and security of citizens living near railways.
While the people affected still have no answers about the true presence of chemicals in their community, the derailment has reminded the U.S. and world of the lacking train safety regulations that could affect any one of us. Widespread government legislation remains one of the biggest barriers to progress on environmental issues, and the East Palestine incident is just one example of the importance of regulations in combating careless business practices.
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