Vance and Zeldin ask EPA to review response to Ohio train derailment
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin have asked EPA Acting Inspector General Nicole Merli to conduct an independent investigation into the authorities’ response to the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The Hill reports.
Request for an independent review
In a joint letter sent on Friday, Vance and Zeldin requested a “comprehensive, independent” investigation into how the Joe Biden administration responded to the incident. The accident in East Palestine resulted in releases of toxic chemicals.
In the letter, the officials said that residents of East Palestine and nearby communities have lived with the consequences of decisions made by the Biden-Harris administration and railroad company Norfolk Southern for more than three years. In their view, the accident response, the subsequent controlled release and burning of hazardous materials, environmental contamination, and ongoing concerns about air, soil, water quality, and public health require further oversight.
Assessing the potential impact of chemicals
Vance and Zeldin’s request came after the release of a preliminary assessment by the watchdog organization Government Accountability Project. Documents obtained by it indicate that the federal Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Assessment Center, IMAAC, predicted the day after the accident that approximately 18,000 people could have been exposed to toxic substances at concentrations that could potentially cause at least serious injuries.
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In particular, IMAAC reported possible phosgene exposure for 17,972 people and hydrogen chloride exposure for 312. According to researchers’ findings, the chemical plume created by the controlled burning of spilled substances reached 16 states over the following weeks.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, phosgene, which is used to produce pesticides and plastics, can cause breathing problems, headaches, blurred vision, and other symptoms. Hydrogen chloride can form when plastic burns and forms hydrochloric acid when it comes into contact with water. Hydrogen chloride and hydrochloric acid are corrosive and can cause breathing problems and burns to the eyes and skin.
Vance and Zeldin noted that shortcomings in the authorities’ response identified during the review could lead to changes in emergency response procedures, environmental monitoring, or coordination among government agencies.
