06/20/2024

Study Finds East Palestine Train Derailment Spread 'Hazardous' Pollution to 16 States

In February 2023, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Ohio

The destruction from a massive train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, spread far beyond the initial wreckage site, spewing "hazardous" pollution across 16 states, according to a newly released study.

On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine -- a village on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania -- sending toxic chemicals into the air, soil, creeks and lakes in the region, according to the study published in Environmental Research Letters on Wednesday.

In total, the pollution from the wreckage and subsequent controlled burn of several of the train's cars spread over 16 states in the Northeast, Midwest and Southern U.S., reaching 540,000 square miles or 14 percent of the U.S. land area, according to the study.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ABC News.