EAST PALESTINE, Ohio–Like many East Palestine residents, Greg Mascher didn’t think twice when he heard the blaring horn of another approaching Norfolk Southern freight train.
Trains rumble through town throughout the day and have done so for years. Their presence was an accepted and mostly ignored part of daily life— until Feb. 3, 2023.
“I can’t speak for other people here, but seeing a train go through town was a common occurrence and just a minor inconvenience when you’re stuck at a crossing waiting for it to pass. Now, it’s a constant reminder of what happened, and we get that reminder several times a day,” Mr. Mascher told The Epoch Times.
Life here changed abruptly around 9 p.m. on Feb. 3, 2023. That’s when a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train carrying 151 cars derailed. Hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride, in some of the rail cars spilled onto the ground and into the air.
Vinyl chloride is used to make PVC pipes and other products. The National Cancer Institute notes that the toxic chemical has been linked to cancers of the brain, lungs, blood, lymphatic system, and liver.
Vinyl chloride creates carbon monoxide and hydrogen chloride when it burns. When the latter mixes with water, it generates hydrochloric acid, a corrosive substance that can burn the skin and eyes and is toxic if inhaled.
Burning vinyl chloride also produces a small amount of phosgene gas, which was used as a chemical weapon on World War I battlefields.
When 38 of the rail cars derailed, a fire ensued, damaging an additional 12 cars.
Of the 20 cars carrying hazardous materials, 11 derailed, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Authorities—fearing a major explosion—decided to release and burn vinyl chloride from five cars on Feb. 6, sending a massive cloud of black smoke into the sky. Visible for miles, it was likened to the mushroom cloud caused by a nuclear weapon.
They called it a “controlled burn,” but residents claim it was anything but controlled. A dark cloud of chemical-filled smoke could be seen for miles. Debris landed on properties several miles away.
Train cars ruptured, spilling their contents into a drainage ditch that connects to Sulphur Run, a stream that flows through the heart of East Palestine.
Before the burn, Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine urged residents to evacuate a one-by-two-mile area surrounding East Palestine—which included parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Mr. DeWine described the urgency as a “matter of life and death.”
Cleanup Continues
A year later, cleanup work continues. Officials from federal and state agencies have repeatedly said tests show that the air and water are safe in East Palestine and surrounding communities. Residents are still complaining about a toxic smell in the air, burning eyes, rashes, and headaches, among other health issues.Mr. Mascher, a youth basketball coach, is a lifelong East Palestine resident. His family has called the village home for generations. His seven granddaughters live in East Palestine.
Most people couldn’t even accurately pronounce the village’s name before a year ago, Mr. Mascher noted.
“East Pali-steen, not East Pali-stine,” he said with a grin.
Until the derailment, most Americans could not point to East Palestine on a map. Mr. Mascher longs for the life he had before the disaster.
“I wish it would go back to the way it was,” Mr. Mascher said. “This was a great place to live and raise a family. Now, we are worried about whether it is safe to be here one day to the next.”
Before the derailment, Mr. Mascher’s house was a popular gathering spot for their granddaughters and neighborhood children playing in the backyard and riding bikes. That routine has returned, he said, but uncertainty lingers about the short-term and long-term safety of living in East Palestine.
While state and federal agencies claim they are doing everything they can for the long-term vitality of the village, and elected officials parade in front of cameras during visits to the community and deliver stern rebukes about the Biden administration’s response, residents just want the sense of normalcy they felt before that Feb. 3 evening last year to return.
“For those of us here, we are just thinking about today and what might happen tomorrow, months from now, and years from now. Is it safe to take a shower? Is it safe for kids to play in the creeks, and is it safe to eat vegetables grown in our gardens?” Mr, Mascher said.
“Elected officials, government officials, reporters, activists, and Norfolk Southern’s CEO get to go home after being here. This is our home, and we don’t know if it’s safe to stay.
‘Make it Right’
For months, in the aftermath of the disaster, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has repeatedly said the company will “make it right” in East Palestine. Norfolk Southern officials insist that ongoing environmental testing indicates that the air and water are safe. But many East Palestine residents tell a different story—one of anxiety and uncertainty about the future and distrust of state and federal agencies.Before Feb. 3, 2023, East Palestine was a “united” town, Mr. Mascher said. Since then, it has become divided.
Misti Allison agrees. The mother of two lives with her husband, Aaron, whose family has resided in East Palestine for generations.
Before the disaster, Ms. Allison worked remotely in a technology job and juggled caring for her children and her mother, who was in the final weeks of her battle with lymphoma. Ms. Allison, who earned a master’s degree in public health and previously worked for the Cleveland Clinic and the American Cancer Society, became an advocate for East Palestine after the derailment and burn.
She testified before Congress during the same time her mother died. She joined Moms Clean Air Force, a national environmental advocacy organization devoted to addressing air pollution.
Last summer, Ms. Allison decided to challenge Mayor Trent Conaway in an election she lost by 200 votes. She is deeply involved in activism to improve the health of East Palestine residents in the aftermath of the derailment. She recognizes the division that exists a year later.
“There are two schools of thought in town. A big portion of the population wants to move forward, recover, and grow. There are also many people who point out that we still haven’t had indoor air monitoring, and not everyone has received the health testing they want. They believe, ‘How can you move on when there is so much we still don’t know,’“ Ms. Allison said. ”It’s polarizing.”
Ms. Allison and her husband have a 2-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son. Their children have expressed anxiety since the derailment.
“Not long after coming home after evacuating last year, my son asked me if we are going to die from living in our own house and if we will have to move for good,” she said.
“And one day walking home from school, he jumped in a puddle and asked if it had vinyl chloride in it and if he was going to be OK.”
The EPA has said that surface water in streams is no longer showing signs of contamination and that outdoor air-testing near the crash site does not indicate sustained levels of hazardous chemicals. It is safe to drink the water and breathe the air in East Palestine, agency officials insist.
Currently, the EPA reports it is testing buildings near the derailment site for vapor intrusion and chemicals that have settled under buildings and may have entered indoor spaces. The agency is also collecting 2,500 soil samples to check for potential contamination.
Norfolk Southern has said it has spent $104 million to help East Palestine, including the disbursement of $21 million to residents as part of its “Making It Right” promise.
The company has allocated $25 million to upgrade the city park, which is located near one of the polluted waterways where cleanup continues. Norfolk Southern has dedicated another $25 million to create a regional training center for first responders and has given $750,000 to the local school district. Last fall, the East Palestine Bulldogs high school football team wore helmets adorned with railroad tracks.
Residents have told The Epoch Times they appreciate those improvements, but they would like to see issues like health testing and relocation funding addressed to truly “make it right.”
A day before the derailment’s one-year mark, the streets of East Palestine looked much like they did before the disaster. Murals reflecting the community’s pride in war veterans and village heritage adorn old buildings that have stood for a century. Concrete bulldogs illustrating the school’s mascot are situated throughout downtown. Yet there are reminders of what happened a year ago, and the uncertainty East Palestine residents could face long term.
A health clinic partly financed by Norfolk Southern opened last year, along with an EPA welcome center and a Norfolk Southern office. Other storefronts that once housed businesses are vacant.
Looking Forward
At a Feb. 2 press conference, Mr. Conaway sat in front of a banner that displayed a new village logo with the tagline “Pride. Tradition. Progress.” He told reporters, “It is important to the village that we control our own narrative and not let others use us to put out their own message.”Funded by Norfolk Southern, the village hired a marketing firm to promote economic development. A new website debuted this week, along with a newsletter touting positive news about what is happening in East Palestine.
The Community Improvement Corp. has been formed to help spur economic development separate from what the village handles.
“Today, our focus is on acknowledging the past, looking forward, and highlighting the positive strides in the cleanup and economic development plan for the village of East Palestine,” Mr. Conaway said.
To date, no injuries or deaths have been attributed to the disaster. Concerns about lingering contamination exist. Railway safety legislation designed to prevent similar crashes has stalled in the U.S. Senate and House, and Ohio and Pennsylvania state legislatures. Norfolk Southern faces dozens of lawsuits, including one led by environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running for president as an Independent.
Multiple scientists and health officials agree that the impact of pollution from the disaster will likely be unknown for years.
A year later, President Joe Biden still has not announced an emergency declaration. That is one example of how the federal response to East Palestine has been “a little underwhelming.”
Earlier this week, the White House announced that President Biden will visit East Palestine sometime in February. Though former President Donald Trump arrived in the village a few weeks after the derailment and burn, President Biden has yet to appear in the community located in a county that President Trump won overwhelmingly in 2020.
“I am glad President Biden is finally following through with his promise to come to East Palestine. While we are strong and resilient people, we deserve to be heard,” Ms. Allison told The Epoch Times.
Ms. Allison noted that she does not want President Biden’s visit to become “a political storm and photo opportunity since it’s an election year.”
Health Testing Concerns
Many East Palestine residents are waiting for Norfolk Southern to fund long-term health care and tracking.An Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry survey last year showed that hundreds of Ohio residents and emergency responders reported at least one new or worsening symptom like headaches, anxiety, and coughing.
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine conducted a virtual public workshop last November where East Palestine residents shared their concerns with government officials, medical professionals, academics, and members of the community.
Local health providers discussed how clinicians lacked training for responding to environmental disasters.
Beyond these surveys, there was no comprehensive health study of East Palestine residents that drew blood or urine samples or recorded biomarkers.
Last April, a study was spearheaded by Dr. Erin Haynes, chair of the University of Kentucky’s Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health. The study discovered that 40 percent of the 386 respondents screened positive for PTSD.
Dr. Haynes and her team collected blood samples from residents last July to test for dioxins, which are a byproduct of chlorinated chemicals, highly toxic, remain in the environment, and can cause cancer, reproductive issues, and hormone disruption.
A comprehensive health study for East Palestine residents would have helped them understand exposure and risk, but that did not happen.
“We may never know exactly how many people were exposed to those chemicals, at what levels, or for how long. Ideally, every person possibly exposed should have been able to report their symptoms and experiences in a format that could be followed and tracked,” Dr. Haynes said.
“Concurrently, the public should have been given the opportunity to provide samples for analysis—urine, blood, hair, anything.”
“The last year has shown me that mothers will do whatever it takes to protect their children. The motivation to protect my kids and the community inspired me to become an outspoken advocate,” Ms. Allison said.
“I’ll keep doing everything I can to participate in health studies and be a canary in the coal mine to discover how potential exposure is affecting our health,” she added.Rick Tsai, a longtime East Palestine resident, has a chiropractic clinic across the border in western Pennsylvania around a five-minute drive from home. The derailment and burn—and what he deems as an unacceptable response from local, state, and federal authorities—moved him to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson’s seat. Mr. Johnson recently retired to become president of Youngstown State University.
Mr. Tsai and his wife, Tammy, have frequently appeared on national broadcast media outlets since the disaster and are outspoken advocates for East Palestine.
“Since the derailment happened, we keep getting told everything is fine, but we know that everything is not fine,” Mr. Tsai told The Epoch Times. “East Palestine residents have been abandoned. I’ve been abandoned. We have a well, and we don’t know if our water is going to be safe to use.”
He is opposed by two state lawmakers, Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus and Sen. Michael Rulli. The district is decisively Republican.
East Palestine residents should receive assistance from the federal government to relocate if they desire, Mr. Tsai says.
“We’re not asking for a handout. Give us low or no-interest loans that don’t have to be paid back until your current home sells,” Mr. Tsai said, noting that some residents now have multiple sets of living expenses.
“These people can’t pay two mortgages, and there are people who are paying two mortgages—all because of a preventable disaster from a company that is one of the country’s wealthiest businesses.”
Mr. Mascher believes Norfolk Southern should provide money for residents who want to leave.
“Many people want to relocate but can’t afford to. A lot of families are still displaced. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. Norfolk Southern can afford to pay for the housing and moving expenses for families who want to leave. Isn’t that the least they could do?” Mr. Mascher said.
“If this happened in East Palestine, it can happen anywhere. We want to see accountability from Norfolk Southern and our government. We didn’t ask for this to happen.”
