‘Plume’ of Chemicals in Ohio River Moving Downstream After Train Derailment: Officials

ONG 52nd Civil Support Team members prepare to enter an incident area to assess remaining hazards with a lightweight inflatable decontamination system (LIDS) in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 7, 2023. Ohio National Guard via AP

A top Ohio environmental official on Tuesday confirmed a “plume of chemicals” in the Ohio River is currently moving downstream after a train derailed in East Palestine that was carrying toxic chemicals.

“We know there is a plume (of chemicals) moving down the Ohio River,” Tiffani Kavalec, the head of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s water management subdivision, said in a news conference. “We think it’s on its way towards Huntington, West Virginia, now,” she added.