The Trump administration has launched a study of the long-term health consequences for residents of East Palestine, Ohio, from a train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in 2023.
The initiative, spearheaded by Vice President J.D. Vance, comes after he was brushed off by Biden administration officials when he urged a study on any detrimental environmental and health effects on the East Palestine community. Mr. Vance was a U.S. senator representing Ohio at the time.
Under President Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Director of the National Institutes of Health Jay Bhattacharya have launched a five-year, $10 million research initiative to investigate the disaster’s long-term health impacts.
“I’ve been to East Palestine a number of times, and they’re very worried about, what are the long-term impacts of these chemicals in the water, in the air, what effect does it have on their kids and grandkids after five years, 10 years, 15 years of exposure?” Mr. Vance said during an announcement of the initiative, while flanked by Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Battacharya.
“I tried as a United States senator to work with the Biden administration, and they refused to do anything to actually study the effects of these long-term exposures on the people of East Palestine,” he said.
Mr. Kennedy called the effort “the first large-scale, coordinated, multi-year federal study focused specifically on the long-term health impacts of the East Palestine disaster.
“The program will support robust community-engaged epidemiological research to understand the impacts of exposures on short and long-term injuries,” he said.
According to Mr. Kennedy, the program will also “support public health tracking and surveillance of the community’s health conditions to help us make informed health care choices and take appropriate preventative measures.”
Dr. Battacharya said the program will be “community-led” and will emphasize “extensive, well-coordinated communications among researchers, study participants, community stakeholders, health care providers” and others to provide a comprehensive approach to address the affected community’s health concerns.
This includes, he said, community engagement that focuses on hazardous materials like vinyl chloride and benzene.
The NIH is scheduled to start research in the fall, with a proposal deadline of July 21.
On Feb. 3, 2023 a Norfolk Southern freight derailed in the community. The train wreck involved 38 cars carrying hazardous chemicals, which ignited and spread in prolonged fires.
East Palestine community members immediately began experiencing a range of health symptoms, including headaches, respiratory problems and skin and eye irritations, prompting concerns about the broader long-term impacts on maternal and child health.
In April 2024, Norfolk Southern paid out $600 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of East Palestine residents.
Last month, communications revealed through a Freedom of Information Act request allegedly showed that Biden administration officials knew about the dangerous health risks presented by the toxic spill, but continued to tell the public there was no evidence of significant chemical contamination.
