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      Ron Fodo of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency examines a creek following a Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine on February 20, 2023.

      100+ Groups Detail Demands for Dioxin Testing After Toxic Train Derailment

      "It's important for the residents of East Palestine that accurate and transparent testing for dioxin be done at the lowest levels possible, so that the residents can begin to understand the risks they face and can make informed decisions to protect their health," said one expert.

      Jessica Corbett
      Mar 13, 2023

      While welcoming a federal order that Norfolk Southern test for dioxins near a derailed train that was carrying hazardous materials through East Palestine, Ohio, over 100 groups on Monday shared "recommendations on how this testing should be conducted to improve transparency, rebuild public trust, and comprehensively address possible releases."

      The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told the rail company to develop a plan to test for dioxins—carcinogenic chemical compounds that persist in the environment and human body and are tied to developmental, reproductive, and immune system problems—only after nearly a month of pressure from residents across Ohio and Pennsylvania.

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      Three crosses stand on a hillside overlooking a farm on the state line of Ohio and Pennsylvania following a train derailment on February 17, 2023.

      Senate Dems Elevate Farmers' Calls for Relief From Toxic Train Derailment

      "The farmer shouldn't be penalized for this unfortunate and unique situation," said John Stock of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association. "It's going to have an impact on these farms, and it's a reality that impacts all of us."

      Jessica Corbett
      Mar 08, 2023

      Just over a month after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, a trio of U.S. senators on Wednesday wrote to a pair of Biden administration leaders that "we are hearing from farmers and agricultural producers who are concerned about the impacts of the derailment and associated release of hazardous materials on their livelihoods."

      After train cars derailed and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3, the rail giant conducted a controlled release of vinyl chloride to prevent an explosion. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on February 21 ordered Norfolk Southern to identify and clean up contaminated soil and water; facing local pressure, the EPA on Friday told the company to test for dioxins, while maintaining the position that based on agency testing, it is unlikely those toxic chemical compounds were released.

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      Agriculture
      A Norfolk Southern train passes underneath a bridge on February 25, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.

      Anti-Plastic Coalition: East Palestine Disaster Exposes Need for 'Systemic Change'

      "We need systemic reforms to stop the petrochemical industry from having carte blanche to profit off of poisoning people and the planet," says the international Break Free From Plastic alliance.

      Kenny Stancil
      Mar 03, 2023

      One month after a fiery train crash in East Palestine, Ohio sparked an ongoing environmental and public health crisis, an anti-plastic coalition on Friday highlighted how the petrochemical industry poisons communities across the United States and called for "systemic change."

      The Norfolk Southern-owned train that derailed and ignited near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on February 3 was overloaded with hazardous materials, many of them derived from fossil fuels. To avert a catastrophic explosion, authorities released and burned vinyl chloride—a carcinogenic petrochemical used to make plastic—from five tanker cars, provoking residents' fears about the long-term health impacts of toxic air pollution and groundwater contamination.

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