A Current Reminder of Professional Responses to Environmental Disasters

Abstract

As of this writing, the February 3, 2023, derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, is at the forefront of public scrutiny and concern. Although initial emergency safety measures were taken to protect surrounding residents, fears have continued to grow in the weeks that follow about their adequacy. The implications of this lethal disaster are particularly far-reaching, given the hazardous chemical fire that resulted from this accident. Authorities continue to debate what distances are adequate for various safety recommendations, threats to air and water contamination, and the extent to which individuals and regions may be affected at present and in the future. Particularly, unease about latent and long-term health risks have increased along with geographic areas of impact given the potential for corrupted water and food supplies, air pollution, acid rain, and other means in which chemicals extend their reach well beyond the site of the incident. Four weeks after this disaster, there appears to be little certainty about the ramifications and scope of this tragic event.