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“There is no indication of any injuries or risk to public health at this time,” the county said. “A crew from the owner/operator of the railway Norfolk Southern, the Clark County Hazmat team and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency each independently examined the crash site and verified there was no evidence of spillage at the site.”
Two tankers were carrying residual amounts of diesel exhaust fluid, the county said, and two others had residual amounts of polyacrylamide water solution. The county called those materials “common industrial products shipped via railroad” and noted that the area does not include a protected water source, “meaning there is no risk to public water systems or private wells at this time.”
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency planned to oversee cleanup Sunday.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said in a Twitter post that President Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called to offer the federal government’s assistance. Buttigieg tweeted that the derailment will be monitored closely even though no hazardous material was released.
The incident comes on the heels of the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train that caused an explosion in East Palestine, sending dark plumes into the sky, coating the area with a chemical odor and raising concerns about pollution. Some of those derailed cars contained vinyl chloride, a carcinogen, and a 1,000-foot area around the tracks was “grossly contaminated.” That derailment led officials to declare a shelter-in-place order on the outskirts of the crash site before some of the nearest homes were evacuated. Residents have since returned, some worrying whether it’s safe to stay.
Norfolk Southern, the fourth-largest railroad in the United States, has since faced scrutiny. CEO Alan Shaw is set to testify in Congress on Thursday about the East Palestine derailment and steps to prevent similar accidents. Some lawmakers have already proposed new regulations.
Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), whose district includes the site of Saturday’s derailment, called it “outrageous” during a Sunday appearance on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.” He said that although “it seems we may have missed a bullet in this one,” the risk for Ohio residents is unacceptable.
“The fact that we’re having derailment after derailment shows really the lack of investment, the disinvestment, in our infrastructure, and that needs to change,” Turner said.
