April 4,2023
East Palestine
TRAIN DERAILMENT RESPONSE
Serving East Palestine, Negley, Darlington
and surrounding communities
NEWSLETTER
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Soil being loaded for off-site disposal
PROGRESS MADE
Containment Zone Around Blue
Lake Tanks
Sheet piling is being installed
around the large blue lake tanks at
the derailment site. This will act as
a secondary form of containment
around the tanks. The sheet piling is
fixed into the ground to make sure
no wastewater leaks from the tanks
and that any runoff is contained and
captured.
Stream Contaminant Mitigation
and Water Quality Improvement
Efforts in Sulphur Run and Leslie
Run are nearing completion
Airsparging involves putting air
into the water so that oxygen and
microbes break down chemicals,
like acrylates and glycols, in
sediment. Ohio EPA's website has
an interactive map with sampling
resu Its that shows the effectiveness
of this technique and surface water
quality continues to improve. Along
with containment and vacuuming/
re moving water from the stream,
this is a standard technique for
emergency response to eliminate
contaminants from water.
New Pennsylvania
Health Resources
Pennsylvania residents now have
access to new community-based
health resources. Residents can call
the Department of Health Hotline
(877-PA-HEALTH) to request a
checkup to help identify the root of
their health concerns. A nurse will,
connect callers to the appropriate
local health care services, and access
to care is open to people without
insurance or transportation. Moving
forward, this health resource network
will replace the Health Resource
Center that has been operating at the
Darlington Township Building.
Complaint Filed Against
Norfolk Southern
EPA and the Department of Justice
have sued Norfolk Southern overthe
train derailment. The suit aims to
hold Norfolk Southern accountable
for polluting waterways and ensure
it pays all costs of the environmental
cleanup. EPA is acting in its authority
underthe Clean Water Act and the
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act.
- T*r. "
A cleared area on the south side of
the track is backfilled with clean soil
and resurfaced
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THE WEEK AHEAD
he greater community:
EPA's Community Welcome Center remains open to
the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. EPA staff are
available to answer questions and address concerns.
Air monitoring will continue at 23 locations around
the community.
EPA's Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) mobile
laboratory will continue to monitor air.
A second air analyzer similar to the TAGA is being
used. You may see it following the TAGA bus
around town.
Stream agitation and aeration is nearingcompletion
and stream soil washing will continue.
COMMUNITY CORNER
Spring is around the corner and parks are a great place to
enjoy warmerweather. This week, the East Palestine Youth
Sports Association will start baseball practice outdoors at
the City Park - games begin April 17. To reassure residents
of the safety of outdoor activities like these, EPA has
sampled soil in recreation areas. Results from EPA and
Norfolk Southern testing in the East Palestine City Park are
below screening levels (learn more about screening levels
in Did You Know?), The playground and swimming pool at
the park have also been cleaned and powerwashed.
DID YOU KNOW?
Dioxins are a large family of chemical compounds that
are often present at very low levels everywhere in the
environment. Dioxins break down very slowly and can be
created when chemicals, such as fuels and plastics, are
burned. In rural areas, such as East Palestine and Western
Pennsylvania, dioxins can come from farm vehicle exhaust,
burningtrash, campfires, and industrial factories. Pure
dioxin looks like white crystalline needles, but in the
environment, it generally attaches to soil and dust and is
invisible to the eye.
When testing for dioxins in soil, it's important to establish
a background level. Background levels are the level of
chemicals in other areas of the county or town, not related
to the derailment site. In these other areas, the level of
chemicals is a result of naturally occurring or human-
made activities. Naturally occurring activities are those
At the derailment site: In
Continued heavy truck traffic along designated routes.
Taggart Street remains closed to the public.
Excavation and construction work will continue at
the site.
Contaminated soil and wastewaterwiil continue to be
shipped off-site.
Two large 1-million-gallon blue lake tanks will be used
to temporarily hold wastewater, reducing the number
of smaller storage tanks.
that are not caused by humans, such as dioxins from forest
fires. Human-made activities are those that are caused
by humans, such as dioxins from diesel exhaust. EPA also
uses screening levels to further advise on safety.
What does "screening levels" mean?
When emergencies occur that involve releases of
chemicals into the environment, screening levels are a
tool that responders use to learn if there is a potential
for risks to human health and the environment and if
there is a need for further investigation. These levels can
change depending on specific details of the incident and
as cleanup progresses from emergency phases to longer
term cleanup. Screening values are health protective
values that are below levels at which there is a potential
risk to health.
Soil sample collection
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North Track
SAFETY MINUTE
Heavy truck traffic continues in the East Palestine area. We
advise residents to be mindful of work trucks transporting liquid
and solid wastes for disposal. The route map below shows the
authorized truck routes in and out of town.
01
02
03
Is the air monitoring equipment detecting chemicals of concern?
Yes, the air monitoring and sampling equipment are capable of detecting many
chemicals of concern in the community and currently detections are below
levels of concern. Some of the monitoring equipment may not detect a portion
of the chemicals at lower levels—specifically n-butyl acrylate. However, there are
independent tools used at the same time to measure air quality. These tools
can detect this and other chemicals at low concentrations, which are below
levels anticipated to be harmful to health. This monitoring and sampling will
continue to ensure the health and safety of the community.
Are odors from the derailment site dangerous?
As site work continues and waste is shipped off-site fordisposal, there may
be times where odors can besmelled. In general, manysubstances can cause
odors in the outdoor air but not be at levels that can harm your health, but they
can still affect yourquality of life. Forexample, n-butyl acrylate has a distinct
odor even at very low concentrations. This odor threshold is much lower than
the exposure concentrations associated with potential health effects. Part of
EPA's air monitoring network includes sampling devices and driving the Trace
Atmospheric Gas Analyzer, or TAGA, mobile laboratory around the derailment
site and nearby neighborhoods during active work hoursto monitorthe airfor
levels of potential health concern.
What's the difference between short-term and long-term
chemical exposure levels?
Acute or short-term exposure assumes that a person has been exposed to
a chemical for a short period of time. Long term, also known as chronic,
exposure assumes a person has been constantly exposed to a chemical for a
lifetime, or approximately 70 years.
BY THE
NUMBERS
i
s of March 31
13,263
TONS
EST. OF CONTAMINATED
SOIL SHIPPED
9.6
million
EST. GALLONS OF LIQUID
WASTEWATER SHIPPED
627
INDOORAIR
SCREENINGS
7
ROUNDS OF
MUNICIPAL
WELL TESTING
THE WELCOME CENTER
HAS RECEIVED
462
VISITORS
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ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION
KEY COMMUNITY
EVENTS THIS WEEK
There are no Community Open Houses
scheduled for this week
Area resources available this week are as follows:
Pennsylvania Residents:
Call the Department of Health Hotline
(877-PA-HEALTH) to connect with a nurse to
find appropriate local health care services
Ohio Residents:
East Palestine Health Assessment Clinic
Hours:
Monday and Tuesday, April 3rd and 4th
from 12-6 PM
First Church of Christ
20 West Martin St.
This weekly newsletter is being developed through a joint
effort of local, state, federal agencies, and community
organizations. If you would like more information
about topics discussed, please visit response.epa.gov/
EastPalestineTrainDerailment or call EPA's Information
Line at 866-361-0526
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