East Palestine train derailment

East Palestine residents have reported ongoing medical issues and federal rail safety legislation remains stalled.

The Railroad Safety and Accountability Act would codify the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee.

Three years after the train derailment and chemical burn in East Palestine, researchers are still studying its public health and environmental consequences.

East Palestine residents have complained of symptoms they say stem from the Norfolk Southern train derailment three years ago.

On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, a small town on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Several studies are ongoing to find what the public health impact of the accident is.

Of a thousand residents surveyed, more than half had at least one physical health concern in the months following the train disaster. Many reported mental health effects too.

A specialized plane equipped with advanced sensors that the government deploys to chemical disasters could have helped authorities avoid needlessly blowing open five rail tank cars and burning their toxic contents after the disastrous 2023 East Palestine train derailment, a new report says.

East Palestine and Norfolk Southern announced a $22 million settlement in January that included $13.5 million already paid to the town and formalized the railroad's additional $25 million pledge to renovating the village's park.

Residents are still waiting to receive most of the money from the settlement because of pending appeals, although some payments have started to go out.

Norfolk Southern wants two other companies to help pay for the $600 million class-action settlement it agreed to over its disastrous 2023 train derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and the toxic chemicals that were released and burned.