The February 2023 incident caused a dayslong fire and sent toxins into the air, water and soil.
The Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, caused"hazardous" pollution to spread across 16 states, according to new research.
In total, the study estimates that at least 16 states and one-third of the nation's population, 110 million people, were actually impacted by the pollution. Those areas span 14% of the country's land area, reaching as far northeast as New England, affecting almost all of the Great Lakes states and potentially reaching as far south as South Carolina.
As expected, data revealed high chloride concentrations in the Northeast — but also in Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Plus, the researchers said the level of at least one chemical compound concentration was elevated to the 99th percentile at 19 NTN sites, and eight or more sites had four or more compounds in the 99th percentile.
"It is very clear that extreme concentrations of multiple pollutants were present over a widespread area during the days after the accident and resulted in enhanced deposition of these pollutants to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, including the Lakes Michigan, Erie, Ontario, and likely Huron and Superior," the study said.
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