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East Palestine’s toxic nightmare isn’t over. Gutting EPA won’t help. 

3 0
05.06.2025

Two years ago, a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.

It unleashed devastating consequences for my family and our small town, with pollution that spread to 16 states and even parts of Canada. The night I saw the massive fireball from my driveway, after putting my two small children to bed, felt like an apocalyptic nightmare.

The derailment and chemical fire burned for days. Then, Norfolk Southern and its contractors reportedly withheld crucial information, leading incident command to make the unnecessary decision to drain and burn 1.1 million pounds of vinyl chloride — a known carcinogen linked to brain, liver, lung, and blood cancer, among others — according to a federal lawsuit.

The resulting ominous black cloud over Ohio and Pennsylvania was terrifying. Many residents quickly began experiencing symptoms such as headaches, nosebleeds, skin rashes and breathing problems.

These health issues haven’t completely gone away and some in our community are still suffering, with many living in fear of an eventual cancer diagnosis.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s........

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