Posted on Mar 3, 2023
Here's why it's hard to clean up toxic waste from the East Palestine train derailment
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https://www.npr.org/2023/03/03/ [login to see] /east-palestine-derailment-toxic-waste-cleanup
It's been nearly a month since a Norfolk Southern train derailed and spilled hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals into the air, soil and water around East Palestine, Ohio. In the weeks since, authorities have undertaken a massive operation to clean up the hazardous materials.
More than 700 tons of contaminated soil and nearly two million gallons of liquid have been collected from the derailment site, Ohio officials say, with much more left to clean up under the order of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The effort to remove vast amounts of contaminated soil and water from the small town in eastern Ohio has involved at least seven different licensed hazardous waste disposal facilities across four states: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Texas.
The tangle became even more complicated when the EPA enacted a one-day pause on Norfolk Southern's removal operations last weekend after officials in Texas and Michigan raised concerns about East Palestine waste coming to disposal facilities in their states.
It's been nearly a month since a Norfolk Southern train derailed and spilled hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals into the air, soil and water around East Palestine, Ohio. In the weeks since, authorities have undertaken a massive operation to clean up the hazardous materials.
More than 700 tons of contaminated soil and nearly two million gallons of liquid have been collected from the derailment site, Ohio officials say, with much more left to clean up under the order of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The effort to remove vast amounts of contaminated soil and water from the small town in eastern Ohio has involved at least seven different licensed hazardous waste disposal facilities across four states: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Texas.
The tangle became even more complicated when the EPA enacted a one-day pause on Norfolk Southern's removal operations last weekend after officials in Texas and Michigan raised concerns about East Palestine waste coming to disposal facilities in their states.
Here's why it's hard to clean up toxic waste from the East Palestine train derailment
Posted from npr.org
Hazmat
Chemicals
Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Officials say there is no indication so far that the groundwater in East Palestine is contaminated. But scientists warn that it can take time for hazardous chemicals to move through soil into the water.
Of the 126 private wells that have been tested, officials say there's no evidence of contamination from the derailment. (A number of wells have shown "trace detections at levels well below safe drinking-water standards," but the results could not be linked to the train derailment, according to DeWine's office.)
"The finish line looks like returning this community back to the state it was before the trauma was inflicted," said EPA administrator Michael Regan in an interview with NPR last week. "This is a longer-term process, but rest assured that we will be there until the job is finished."
..."Officials say there is no indication so far that the groundwater in East Palestine is contaminated. But scientists warn that it can take time for hazardous chemicals to move through soil into the water.
Of the 126 private wells that have been tested, officials say there's no evidence of contamination from the derailment. (A number of wells have shown "trace detections at levels well below safe drinking-water standards," but the results could not be linked to the train derailment, according to DeWine's office.)
"The finish line looks like returning this community back to the state it was before the trauma was inflicted," said EPA administrator Michael Regan in an interview with NPR last week. "This is a longer-term process, but rest assured that we will be there until the job is finished."
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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