Federal and state officials and the Norfolk Southern Railroad have sought to counter public criticism about their efforts to mitigate public health and environmental damage from the Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio that caused chemical contaminants to disperse.
Following a contentious community meeting in the town, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional Administrator Debra Shore said at a White House press briefing Feb 17 that the agency will expand area air and soil sampling and testing, and conduct weekly public meetings. She noted that since a controlled burn of vinyl chloride at the derailment site was completed, EPA air monitoring has not detected any levels of health concern.