A truck carrying 40,000 pounds of contaminated soil from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment clean-up site crashed in Columbiana County on Monday.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, troopers were dispatched to the area of state Route 165 near Waterford Road, Columbiana County, for a report of a single-vehicle crash with minor injuries at 12:54 p.m.
“Troopers arrived on scene and discovered a commercial tractor with open-top trailer, on its side, off of the right side of the roadway,” OSHP said in a statement obtained by The Epoch Times. “The preliminary investigation revealed that the commercial vehicle was traveling northbound when it went off of the right side of the roadway, struck a ditch and utility pole, and ultimately overturned.”
Around 20,000 pounds of soil spilled onto the road and berm as a result of the accident, according to officials. However, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the spill was contained and did not pose a threat to nearby waterways.
The Epoch Times contacted the Ohio EPA for further comment.
Troopers identified the driver of the truck as 74-year-old Phillip S. Falck of McDonald, Pennsylvania. He suffered minor injuries and was cited for operating a vehicle without reasonable control. The road was closed as crews worked to clear the site.
The incident raises concerns about the safety measures in place for the transportation of contaminated materials. Elected officials have previously raised concerns about the contaminated materials being transported from the crash site in East Palestine to facilities in other states.
Clean Up Efforts at Derailment Site
Crews from Norfolk Southern, the operator of the train that derailed in East Palestine, have so far continued efforts to clean up the site.To date, the company says it has recovered and transported off-site 11.4 million gallons of impacted water. They have also removed 19,966 tons of waste soil and flushed 5,200 feet of impacted waterways. In addition, they have sampled over 300 private drinking water wells.
In March, the EPA ordered Norfolk Southern to test all shipments of contaminated materials leaving East Palestine for dioxins after the company burned toxic pollutants from cargo on its derailed train.
Dioxins are a group of chemically-related compounds known as persistent environmental pollutants. They are found in any environment worldwide owing to common processes like burning wood or coal, and therefore end up in the food chain.
The toxic substance can be stored in the body’s fat tissue for an extended time and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, immune system damage, hormone interference, and cancer.
On April 6, the EPA said residents can safely use East Palestine City Park after locals raised concerns. The agency conducted sampling and released a summary of results that found levels of dioxin and semi-volatile organic compounds are well below any levels that would require restricting activities.
The train derailed on Feb. 3 with 20 cars that were listed as carrying hazardous materials. A controlled release of the chemicals onboard, which included vinyl chloride, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and butyl acrylate, was conducted three days later.
The controlled release also sent phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air. Since then, residents have raised concerns over the long-term impacts on their health.
