EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Officials continue to closely monitor the wreckage of a massive, fiery train derailment that occurred on Feb. 3. The 50-car train derailment happened along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border in East Palestine. Five of the Norfolk Southern rail cars contained vinyl chloride, which posed a health risk to people and animals living in Columbiana County.

East Palestine is home to 4,700 residents. About half of those residents were warned to evacuate over that weekend before officials decided to conduct a controlled release of the tankers the following Monday.

Scott Lindsay, owner of Lindsay’s Pine Hill Jersey Farm, resides less than five miles from the derailment and outside of the evacuation zone. With nearly 900 animals on the farm, his is one of the largest farms in Columbiana County. Lindsay has plenty of concerns about the train derailment.

“Field contamination, livestock, groundwater…those would be the three biggest concerns,” Lindsay told Farm World. “One day they said there was no detection of any leaks or groundwater contamination, to then saying there is eminent catastrophe. We can’t leave, so hopefully we won’t be in a situation where that happens.”

Lindsay has heard nothing specifically related to the threat to agriculture, and he feels it should be addressed. After all, it would be nearly impossible for him to move 1,000 animals at a moment’s notice.

“Agriculture, land and livestock could be at risk – and how we would be notified if they were?” he said. “You know, we trust they know what they’re doing and going to control the situation.”

Other news sources report that the director of the Columbiana County Farm Bureau said his number one concern is how this could affect the groundwater and is hoping to learn more from either the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Two days after the accident, Ohio and Pennsylvania governors ordered residents living in a 1-mile by 2-mile area surrounding the derailment to evacuate ahead of a controlled release of hazardous chemicals from the derailed cars.

Vinyl chloride is used primarily to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a hard plastic resin used to make a variety of plastic products, including pipes, wire and cable coatings, and packaging materials.

Breathing high levels of vinyl chloride can make someone pass out or die if they don’t get fresh air, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) said. The ODH added that the man-made chemical burns easily at room temperature and has been linked to an increased risk of cancer in the liver, brain, lungs and blood. Vinyl chloride that touches the skin will numb it and produce redness and blisters.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “vinyl chloride in water evaporates rapidly if it is near the surface. Vinyl chloride in the air breaks down in a few days, resulting in the formation of several other chemicals including hydrochloric acid, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide.”

If a water supply is contaminated, vinyl chloride can enter household air when the water is used for showering, cooking or laundry.

While air and water quality remained stable two days after the accident, “things can change at any moment,” warned James Justice, of the EPA’s Emergency Response.

Ten cars were carrying the hazardous material; five of them exploded. Scott Deutsch, of Norfolk Southern, said small, shaped charges were used to blow a small hole in the other five derailed cars that still contained vinyl chloride. The vinyl chloride then spilled into a trench where flares were used to ignite and burn it away.

Up to this point, National Transportation Safety Board investigators identified the point of derailment and found video showing indications of mechanical issues with one of the railcar axles.

Local groups in the area offered a helping hand for animals displaced by the train derailment.

Sara Greier, of Green Gate Farms in Canfield, Ohio, offered some of her farm’s extra space to those in need of a place for their livestock to go.

“We have all these pastures that we don’t utilize in the winter and I wanted to offer it to anyone who might need it,” Greier said. “We can handle horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.”

Freedom Ranch in Salem, Ohio, has also assisted those with animals. The farm originally shared a post to Facebook, then made an update that they could also take in dogs.

“That kind of really spit-fired everything and really got the ball rolling,” said Kaylee Ball with Freedom Ranch. “The post had been shared over a thousand times by the time I looked at it this morning, and from those shares, it was shared and we had messages and phone calls.”

So far, the farm has taken in five dogs and two horses. 

“If we can accommodate it, we will,” Ball said. “If it’s goats, chickens, we will do our best to accommodate with what we can. In a time of need, I just want somebody to know that there’s comfort and there’s peace. While it’s ugly out there and there’s a lot happening, it’s quiet here and it’s safe.”

For smaller animals, Angels for Animals is offering to shelter any dogs and cats whose home is in the East Palestine evacuation zone. It currently has cages and kennels opened for any animal in need of housing.

Contact numbers for those facilities are: Freedom Ranch (419-571-1764), Green Gate Farms (330-533-6937) and Angels for Animals (330-549-1111).