Environmental indicators in Ontario being 'monitored' after carcinogenic plume released in Ohio derailment

The Canadian government says it’s “monitoring” environmental indicators in Ontario following the February train derailment and subsequent controlled burn in Ohio that released a plume of toxic chemicals, including a known human carcinogen.

On Feb. 3, about 50 cars of a freight train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed on the outskirts of the small Ohio village of East Palestine in a fiery, mangled mess caused by an apparent mechanical issue with a rail car axle.

No one was injured in the wreck, but the subsequent controlled burn which released a plume of harmful chemicals prompted some residents to leave the area, and officials later ordered the evacuation of the immediate area. Four days after the crash, East Palestine residents were permitted to return to their homes, but concerns about long-term health effects of the chemicals released remain.

The crash site is approximately 380 km south of Niagara Falls, Ont.

In a statement issued to CTV News Toronto Tuesday, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said it’s aware of the incident and is actively monitoring any possible impacts on the Ontario environment and residents’ health.

“Typically, the chemical involved in the controlled release to the air, vinyl chloride, only lasts in the atmosphere for less than 24 hours,” Nicole Allen, spokesperson for ECCC, said. Vinyl chloride is a known human carcinogen often used in the plastics industry, according to the Canadian government.

“ECCC takes pollution incidents and threats to the environment very seriously," Allen said. "[We] will continue to monitor the situation and are ready to provide scientific support and expert environmental advice as needed."

The agency said it’s working in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to monitor the situation.

Both Public Health Ontario and the Ministry of Environment directed questions on the incident to the federal government.

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. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Laura Deakin, a lecturer at the University of Waterloo’s chemistry department, told CTV News Kitchener last week that while she expects reports of lung injuries or additional effects from East Palestine residents, southern Ontario residents may not need to worry.

“While the toxins could travel in the air towards [southern Ontario], they should have little effect on people locally,” Deakin said.

“These chemicals would travel with the air, but would they be of a sufficient concentration to cause effects at hundreds of kilometres of distance? I don’t know if that would be the case. I would think not,” she said.

This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, are still on fire at midday, Feb. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Both Niagara Parks Conservation Authority (NPCA) and Canadian climate organization Environmental Defence have also said they’re monitoring the situation in Ontario. Neither has detected any adverse outcomes.

“While we are continuing to monitor and stay in communications with our partner agencies, no impacts have been noted at this time,” a spokesperson for NPCA said Tuesday.

"It was a close call for us and the Great Lakes, but we're not seeing anything indicating the impacts will be felt in Canada,” Michelle Woodhouse, program manager at Environmental Defence, told CTV News Toronto in a written statement, adding this was largely due to the impacted watershed existing “entirely within Ohio.”

RESIDENTS IN EAST PALESTINE CONCERNED

More than two weeks after the incident, East Palestine residents’ concerns over possible health and environmental outcomes linger.

Some residents near the crash site have reported unexpected health effects, including headaches and irritated eyes. At least five lawsuits have been filed against the railroad company, with one seeking to set up health monitoring for residents in both Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, and the surrounding area line up outside for a town hall meeting at East Palestine High School in East Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. Hundreds of worried residents of the Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment and the intentional burning of some of the hazardous chemicals on board gathered Wednesday evening to question officials about lingering questions over health hazards. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

This week, the state plans to open a medical clinic in the village to evaluate those who are worried and their symptoms, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced. The clinic will include a team of experts in chemical exposures deployed to eastern Ohio.

"These are very legitimate questions and residents deserve an answer," DeWine said, again underlining that testing on both the interiors and exteriors of homes in the village have no found no signs of the toxins that were on the train.

"We're doing absolutely everything we can to assure residents of what the situation is," he said.

"I understand people have been traumatized. I understand skepticism."

On Tuesday, U.S. federal environmental regulators took charge of the cleanup and chemical burn and ordered Norfolk Southern to foot the bill.

With files from CTV News Kitchener's Carmen Wong and The Associated Press.