Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
February 15, 2023 11:49 AM

Impact of Ohio derailment ‘has been huge'; Norfolk Southern to pay for damages, DeWine says

Frank Esposito
Senior Staff Reporter
Plastics News Staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    OhioGuard_i.jpg
    Ohio National Guard
    Ohio National Guard members worked with local and state emergency responders at the site of a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

    Rail company Norfolk Southern Corp. will be held responsible for damages resulting from an Ohio train derailment that involved plastics feedstock vinyl chloride and resulted in environmental concerns for people and animals, state officials said at a Feb. 14 news conference.

    "Norfolk Southern is responsible for this," Gov. Mike DeWine said at the event. "They did it and the impact on the community has been huge.

    "We expect Norfolk Southern to cover the costs," he said. "They're responsible for this problem and we expect them to do what their CEO committed to pay for. If not, we have an attorney general and can file a lawsuit."

    National Transportation Safety Board officials have said that the preliminary cause of the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, was a mechanical issue on an axle of one of the rail cars. They added that no injuries were reported from the three-person crew on board the train. NTSB is the primary agency investigating the derailment, which happened as the train was traveling east from Madison, Ill., to Conway, Pa.

    DeWine added that he's had several phone calls with Alan Shaw, CEO of Atlanta-based NS, and has been assured that NS will remain in the area until the site is cleared and all environmental issues have been addressed.

    Local residents were asked to evacuate their homes on Feb. 5 and were allowed to return on Feb. 8. The fire and VCM burnoff created black clouds of smoke that could be seen from miles away. The derailment also has led to concerns about air, water and soil quality in the affected area.

    DeWine said the decision to drain and burn the VCM was made by state officials in Ohio and Pennsylvania — since the affected area affected both states — and railroad officials. The Ohio National Guard, activated by DeWine, also worked with the U.S. Department of Defense to model potential outcomes from the accident.

    "We were faced with two bad outcomes," DeWine said. "We could do nothing and wait for a car to explode … and it would have been a catastrophic explosion sending shrapnel up to a mile. … We also looked at the effects of a controlled release and made the decision to go ahead."

    DeWine added that he had received a call from President Joe Biden, who offered any support the federal government could provide. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was involved in the decision making via phone. DeWine added that he's been in touch with U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance.

    At the news event, Ohio Department of Natural Resources director Mary Mertz said that 3,500 fish died in local waterways as a result of the accident. She added that the number of deaths have since declined and that there was no evidence of "non-aquatic species" being impacted by the derailment. Livestock in the area also have not been affected by the derailment, according to Ohio Department of Agriculture director Brian Baldridge.

    Local media reports have said that chickens and other small animals in the area have been found dead. Officials with the East Palestine Fire Department and the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency could not be reached to confirm those reports.

    Tiffani Kavalec, Ohio EPA surface water division chief, said that no VCM has been detected in local waterways, although some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been found. She added that some of the tributaries lead to the Ohio River, but that the river "is very large and can dilute pollutants fairly quickly."

    "The water is being treated to address concerns," she added. "We're confident that [VOCs] won't be passed on to [water] customers."

    Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff said that air levels in the area "are similar to what they were before the accident," but that residents using private water wells should use bottled water until their wells can be tested. Most area residents use a municipal water system which wasn't affected by the derailment, he said.

    When asked if he'd return to his house if he lived in the area, DeWine said that "I'd be drinking bottled water and checking to find out what the tests show, but I'd probably be back in my house."

    DeWine

    DeWine added that it was "absurd" that the train wasn't listed as high hazardous material, meaning there was no requirement for the railroad to notify Ohio officials that it was moving through the state.

     

    "Congress needs to take a look at this and take appropriate action," he added.

    The U.S. EPA already has issued a general notice of potential liability to NS. That letter documents the release or threat of release of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants to the environment following the derailment. It also outlines EPA cleanup actions at the site and the potential to hold Atlanta-based NS accountable for associated costs.

    EPA officials said Feb. 13 that re-entry air screenings are underway in the area and that community air monitoring will continue operating 24 hours a day. As of the night of Feb. 12, 291 homes had been screened with no detections of VCM or hydrogen chloride identified. There are 181 homes that remain to be screened. Screenings were conducted after being requested by residents.

    Officials added Feb. 14 that surface water sampling results from Feb. 4 detected pollutants connected to the derailment. Officials said that they expect the pollutants to degrade and dilute over time without additional negative impact to aquatic life.

    NS contractors have installed a dam and a water bypass at Sulphur Run — one of the waterways where pollutants were detected — to prevent further contamination of downstream waters. Contractors also have stopped spillage of remaining spilled product into the stream.

    EPA also posted online a list from NS of the hazardous materials carried by the train. The list shows the five VCM cars, as well as four cars of PVC resin and two cars each of polyethylene and polypropylene resins. Two of the PVC cars were listed as "involved in fire," while one of the cars had burned and the other was still burning, according to the list. The two cars of PP resin were not involved in the derailment. The status of the two cars of PE resin was unclear.

    Two of the cars contained benzene, a chemical used in production of styrene monomer and other plastics feedstocks. The list said the two benzene cars were damaged by fire but were not breached.

    In a Feb. 13 news release, NS officials said that more than 700 families and several businesses have been helped at a family assistance center opened by NS in nearby New Waterford. They added that more than $1 million has been distributed directly to families to cover costs related to the evacuation.

    Officials said that NS has sampled East Palestine's drinking water supply wells, drinking water system and private wells in areas potentially impacted by the incident. Sample results will be available in the next week.

    East Palestine has a population of about 5,000. It is located 15 miles south of Youngstown and about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Industry sees Biden bioplastics goal as serious signal
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials
    2
    Nova declares force majeure for PE made at Ontario site
    3
    Engineering resin prices close the first quarter with a drop
    4
    Entek picks Terre Haute, Ind., for $1.5B battery separator plant
    5
    Polymer Points Live March 2023: Commodity resin prices rising, but engineering resins see drops
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified