(The Center Square) – Both of Ohio’s U.S. senators want the federal government to commit to current and long-term medical testing of the community impacted by a Feb. 3 train derailment that led to the release of toxic chemicals.
Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, joined to send a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and U.S. Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky asking them to make sure people impacted by the derailment have access to baseline medical texting.
The letter says both Brown and Vance have spoken to residents who have told them their local doctors do not have capabilities to conduct baseline testing.
“The residents of East Palestine and the surrounding community deserve to know if their health has been compromised by this disaster now and for years to come,” the letter reads. “Therefore, we urge you to work with your colleagues across the federal government to allocate the resources and expertise needed to begin the surveys and assessment needed to establish a medical baseline for the community.”
The letter also points to opinions from Duke Medical School Professor Kyle Walsh and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Professor Glenn Talaska, who have said more studies will be needed on residents impact in the coming months and years in order to see any potential long-term health effects.
The derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania line was largely out of the spotlight for nearly two weeks. A controlled burn Feb. 6, and social media buzz around Valentine’s Day sparked more interest with previously silent politicians weighing in.
There were no injuries from the crash.
The Ohio and U.S. EPA’s most recently testing, released late Monday afternoon, showed no evidence of contaminants linked to the derailment in 126 private wells tested.
Also, according to a news release from Gov. Mike DeWine, the Columbiana County Health District on Monday received verified lab results from seven private water systems. Three wells showed no detectable contaminants. Four wells had trace detections of contaminants at levels well below safe drinking-water standards. There is no evidence that those trace detections are linked to the train derailment, the release said.
The U.S. EPA reported it has conducted indoor air testing at a total of 578 homes. No contaminants associated with the derailment were detected.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, final testing results for four deceased wild animals from the East Palestine area show “no findings to support chemical toxicity as a cause of death.”
