EPA reports ‘no evidence’ of unsafe air, water in Beaver County as residents remain cautious

DARLINGTON TWP. – There’s "no evidence" of lingering air or water contamination in Beaver County resulting from the East Palestine train derailment, state regulators and politicians said this week.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is testing daily for hazardous chemicals associated with the Feb. 3 disaster near Darlington Township on the Ohio-Pennsylvania line. As monitoring continues, U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio said Beaver County residents have called his office with health concerns.

“They’re asking ‘are we safe?’ and I’m asking exactly those questions to the federal agencies that have to answer when I call,” said Deluzio, D-17, Aspinwall. “At this time, the EPA said they haven’t found any dangerous air or water readings from these various tests in Beaver County.”

The Beaver County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday met with Gov. Josh Shapiro, PEMA leadership and Acting Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Richard Negrin. Commissioners said they were “assured” during this meeting that all air monitoring performed in the county has detected safe levels of air quality. That data, and results from ongoing water sampling, will be released to the public, they said.

“We want to emphasize to the citizens of Beaver County that there has been nothing to date to indicate air, water, or soil in Beaver County has been compromised as a result of this train derailment," commissioners said Wednesday in a joint statement.

The Allegheny County Health Department on Thursday said monitors and analysts reviewing the county’s air data “have not seen any air quality changes that can be attributed to the derailment.”

“With more than 25 miles from East Palestine to the county border, any emissions would likely disperse before reaching the county, but will still continue to be monitored,” the department said.

More:Regulators monitoring air, water after East Palestine train derailment

'Grave danger' from crash

Several Norfolk Southern train cars containing highly toxic, combustible chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 3 near Darlington Township as the train traveled from Illinois to Beaver County’s Conway Yard. The cars burned for days as emergency responders monitored the scene. No injuries were reported during the incident.

Three days later, on Feb. 6, the company facilitated an hours-long controlled burn of industrial vinyl chloride at the site to reduce the growing likelihood of an explosion. Hundreds of residents within a 1-2 mile area of the site, including at least two dozen in Darlington Township, were ordered to evacuate just hours before the release.

Officials warned that burning vinyl chloride would send potentially deadly chemicals like phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air; Gov. Shapiro and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said anyone remaining in the evacuation zone during the release faced “grave danger of death,” and risked severe injury, including skin burns and lung damage.

While railroad crews burned the gas, a menacing plume of black smoke soared above East Palestine for hours as Beaver Countians anxiously watched.

The evacuation order was lifted two days later on Feb. 8 after EPA air quality samples tested below safety screening levels for volatile organic compounds like vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate.

The EPA on Feb. 10 published a full list of contaminants that may have been released in East Palestine during the rail disaster. These included vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene, all of which have exposure-related health risks. Inhaling these chemicals can cause skin and eye irritation and burning, respiratory issues, drowsiness, headaches, nausea and fatigue. Heavy exposure to vinyl chloride is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.

More:What are vinyl chloride and isobutylene? More about the chemicals released in Ohio train derailment

Monitoring continues

The EPA is conducting around-the-clock air monitoring using stationary and roaming equipment for localized measurements. Air monitoring data and additional information can be found on the EPA’s website. While roaming EPA monitors did not appear to detect exceedent levels of VOCs after the release, data from roaming monitors reflected an increase in particulate matter at certain locations in the hours following the derailment and controlled burn. Short-term particle exposure can cause health effects like eye, nose, throat and lung irritation.

Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff on Tuesday said recent testing near the site indicates the air has returned to what it was prior to the train derailment. The EPA has not detected vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride in any of the 400 homes the agency has screened, including those in Darlington Township.

Still, some residents in East Palestine and surrounding areas say they’ve experienced nausea, headaches and respiratory issues in the past week. Concerns about air, water and soil pollution persist throughout Beaver County and eastern Ohio. It’s still uncertain what long-term health effects the disaster may have on those exposed to the chemicals.

The Breathe Project on Thursday called for a widespread public health monitoring program that includes anyone in proximity to the incident to gather baseline information and lingering exposure levels.

“There should be widespread testing of people and the area for these things so residents can feel comfortable going home,” the group said, adding the National Response Center should be creating a publicized federal response plan.

“We are witnessing an evolutionary approach and, as a result, there are gaps in what is being monitored, measured and communicated,” the Breathe Project said in a statement. “What needs to happen is a more integrated and well-communicated response that tells people where they can go for key facts, information and assistance that is not dependent upon Norfolk Southern.”

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources last week said the train’s chemical spill killed an estimated 3,500 fish across 7½ miles of stream, and the EPA detected low levels of butyl acrylate in the Ohio River from Little Beaver Creek — which snakes along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border in and out of Ohioville and empties into the Ohio River in Glasgow.

More:Gov. Shapiro says Norfolk Southern had 'poor handling' of derailment response in open letter

A plume of butyl acrylate is currently traveling downriver, mostly recently near Huntington, W.Va. The EPA is tracking the plume daily, and regularly sampling water. Utilities along the Ohio River expect treatment and the closing of water intakes to keep the chemicals out of local systems. Utilities along the Ohio River, including in Beaver County, are actively monitoring water supplies.

Shapiro said the state’s DEP is conducting independent water sampling within a 2-mile radius of the site, and is assisting public water suppliers in evaluating their source water at the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority’s surface water intake on the Beaver River. Samples will be taken monthly, he said.

A Beaver Falls Municipal Authority water treatment plant is located 11 miles from the train derailment site. DEP is also investigating the small public water supply located along the Little Beaver that uses spring sources.

The DEP’s Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields has performed a basic evaluation of the groundwater flow and geology near the derailment site and believes there is not likely to be any contamination of water wells in Pennsylvania. Residents with concerns about private well water should contact the DEP regional office at 412-442-4000 for testing.

Living near the evacuation zone

Families in Darlington and Chippewa townships told The Times on Monday the air “reeked of burnt plastic” as the train cars blazed. One woman who lives two miles from the wreckage said she experienced symptoms akin to “mild allergies” during the controlled chemical burn, reporting itchy eyes that had cleared up within a couple of hours.

Another couple watched the gas cloud from Enon Valley, but reported no symptoms. They said it's not clear where they should go for information specific to Pennsylvania, or who to contact if they need assistance in testing their water while living outside of the evacuation zone.

About four miles from the derailment site in South Beaver Township, Kindred Spirits Rescue Ranch owner Lisa Marie Sopko chose to evacuate nearly 80 large farm animals under her care before the Feb. 6 release — including alpacas, sheep and cattle.

As the roads near her animal sanctuary closed and rail crews in Ohio prepared to release toxic gas later that afternoon, she asked her community on Facebook for help transporting and temporarily sheltering her band of rescued farm animals. She was soon connected with someone at the Hookstown Fairground who offered her the space. Volunteers flocked to the ranch to lend a hand, some traveling from neighboring states.

Good lives:Kindred Spirits Rescue Ranch in South Beaver gives good lives to neglected farm animals

By the end of the all-day evacuation, “the plume was over us,” Sopko said of the gas cloud that had wafted into parts of Beaver County.

“It was very ominous,” she said. “My eyes were burning, it felt like windburn on my skin. It wasn't drastic, but we could sense it.”

Sopko and her rescues returned to the ranch two days later, after independent air quality testing detected “very, very little trace amounts” of chemicals.

“It was to be expected, but it wasn't going to be harmful to us or the animals,” she said.

When Sopko returned to the farm, the songbirds that occupy Kindred Spirits’ barns were all “safe and happy,” she said.

“Birds are going to die first if there’s problems with the air quality,” Sopko said. Sopko hasn’t noticed any health or behavioral changes in her animals, but she plans to remain vigilant as residents in nearby Ohio fear their pets and livestock are being sickened, and even killed, by chemical exposure.

“The EPA hasn’t seen any reports of (sick or dying animals) here,” Deluzio said. “I asked them to look into it and get back to my staff and I. My No. 1 concern is the safety of residents, animals, air, water and soil.”

Residents file lawsuit

At least two Beaver County residents are demanding Norfolk Southern cover the cost of court-supervised medical screenings for anyone who lives or works within a 30-mile radius of the derailment.

A class-action lawsuit filed last week names Andrew Erdos, 32, and David Anderson, 58, who “live and farm” in New Galilee, as plaintiffs. The two argue western Pennsylvanians near the crash site “suffered increased risk of life-threatening illness, including cancers and organ damage, from exposure to and inhalation of toxic chemicals.”

Lawsuits filed:Norfolk Southern faces several lawsuits over East Palestine derailment, chemical release

Those living and working within 30 miles of the site “will continue to suffer a significantly increased risk of serious injury and diseases," the lawsuit reads.

Anyone with other questions or concerns specific to Beaver County should call Beaver County Emergency Services at 724-773-6767.