East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment

Latest Update, July 2025

• As restoration nears completion, the cleanup area of the derailment site is shrinking. Crews recently completed the reassessment of Sulphur and Leslie Runs to check for any remaining oily sheens and to determine what additional cleanup may be needed. Restoration activities, including the north side of the tracks near Brave Industries, are ongoing. 
• The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) issued a Research Opportunity Announcement (ROA) for organizations to participate in a study to address the immediate and longer-term health concerns from exposures to chemicals released during the train derailment.  The proposed settlement (lodged consent decree) between the US and Norfolk Southern includes creating a community health program to provide medical monitoring and mental health services. 
• Groundwater, surface water, and drinking water continue to be regularly sampled.
• View previous editions of the newsletters on this webpage. Norfolk Southern continues to post weekly updates on its web page. 

See all Operational Updates

Background

At about 8:55 PM ET on February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, about a quarter-mile west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line.

Twenty of the affected cars contained hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol, ethylhexyl acrylate, butyl acrylate and isobutylene.

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