In East Palestine, EPA orders more cleanup, chemical testing

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.”