Action Alerts

Residents in this community are still dealing with the aftermath of a toxic train derailment

What's At Stake

In February 2023, a train carrying a petrochemical called vinyl chloride, which companies use to make plastic, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, exposing residents to toxic gases linked to serious health risks such as cancer and contaminating the air, soil, and a major water source used by millions of people. Now, a year later, residents are still suffering from the aftermath of the toxic train derailment. 

This disaster was – and is – one of the worst in U.S. history. 

Show your support for residents in East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding communities by calling on the Biden administration to sign the pending disaster declaration in East Palestine. This would enable the federal government to give residents and small businesses the financial relief, health services, and comprehensive environmental testing that they desperately require. 

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Today, businesses have closed, gardens rot, and many can’t access independent testing to see what toxins are in their home, food, and water. Previously healthy residents now suffer from bloody noses, burning throats, nausea, and in some cases, life-threatening health conditions. Scientists say the poisonous chemicals could stick around for decades. 

To make matters worse, the clean-up effort has been led by Norfolk Southern – the same company responsible for the disaster. This is the same company that has recently lobbied against stronger federal rules for trains carrying hazardous chemicals. 

Government officials should listen to the people most impacted regarding the help they need to recover from this chemical disaster. Tell the Biden administration to use its power to declare the train derailment in East Palestine a disaster so that the community can access much-needed resources. 

A man takes photos as a black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern train, Feb. 6, 2023. After toxic chemicals were released into the air from a wrecked train in Ohio, evacuated residents remain in the dark about what toxic substances are lingering in their vacated neighborhoods while they await approval to return home.
A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern train, Feb. 6, 2023. After toxic chemicals were released into the air from a wrecked train in Ohio, evacuated residents remain in the dark about what toxic substances are lingering in their vacated neighborhoods while they await approval to return home. (Gene J. Puskar / AP)

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