State issues East Palestine update for May 16
The following are updates from the State of Ohio regarding remediation work at the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Plant Tissue Testing Results
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences announced finalized results from plant tissue sample testing on East Palestine area crops.
Analysis of scientific data by OSU shows plant materials from agricultural sites in the East Palestine area are not contaminated with semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) associated with the train derailment.
Using U.S. EPA-approved methods, ODA’s plant health inspectors collected plant tissue samples from 16 agricultural areas in Columbiana County last month. All samples — including winter wheat, pasture grasses, malting barley and forage covers — were taken within a five-mile radius of the train derailment site.
Samples collected and tested closest to the derailment site (inner radius) were considered the most likely for potential contamination, and plant tissue samples collected farther from the derailment site (background radius) were tested to serve as a baseline comparison. OSU’s analysis did not find reportable levels of SVOCs in the inner or background radius zones attributable to the train derailment.
All samples were analyzed for the same 26 selected SVOCs the U.S. EPA has been testing for in soil samples. OSU scientists used an EPA-approved method (8270e) routinely used to identify and quantify SVOCs in materials.
ODA Director Brian Baldridge and OSU staff Tuesday met with the East Palestine landowners where plant material samples had been previously collected to review the results.
COSI Event in East Palestine
The Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Agriculture, and Ohio Department of Education joined COSI this afternoon for a community-wide STEM event.
As part of the event, COSI provided free STEM Learning Lunchbox kits to attendees and AT&T provided 250 free Chromebooks to the East Palestine City School District to help accelerate learning and close the digital divide.
Hazardous Waste Removal
According to Ohio EPA, approximately 17.3 million gallons of liquid wastewater have been hauled out of East Palestine in total. There is currently a pile of approximately 28,400 tons of excavated soil waiting for removal from East Palestine, versus 41,900 tons that have been removed.
East Palestine Municipal Drinking Water
The latest drinking water results have been posted from the East Palestine Municipal Water System and continue to show no indication of contaminants associated with the derailment.
The public water system continues to meet all state and federal standards for safe drinking water. Sentinel and monitoring well sampling also show no indication that chemicals associated with the derailment are moving toward the East Palestine well field.
Ohio EPA Water Testing Video
The Ohio EPA produced a new video outlining the process to monitor water in the East Palestine area. More information on water testing results can be found at epa.ohio.gov.
For more information and previous updates from the State of Ohio, visit ema.ohio.gov/eastpalestine.