In another hit to East Palestine, Ohio, the Environmental Protection Agency has ordered railroad company Norfolk Southern to test for dioxins at the site of the derailment that resulted in deadly chemicals being dumped by multiple railcars, the Washington Post reports.
Dioxins are toxic chemicals that result from burning plastics; many of the rail cars that burned after the derailment were filled with vinyl chloride, a key component of many plastics including PVC. It can take years and vast amounts of money to remediate an area contaminated by dioxins.
“Over the last few weeks, I’ve sat with East Palestine residents and community leaders in their homes, businesses, churches, and schools. I’ve heard their fears and concerns directly, and I’ve pledged that these experiences would inform EPA’s ongoing response efforts,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said, noting that dioxin contamination is a “low probability” at this point, but to allay community concerns, he is ordering the test.