Tomorrow, the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) will hold a hearing about the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
A 150-car train carrying toxic petrochemicals burned for more than two days. This was followed by a “controlled release” of known carcinogens from several of the tanker cars.
These train cars full of carcinogens are a regular part of the reckless and dangerous process of making plastic.
Plastics are produced—in highly polluting facilities—by combining fossil fuel with extraordinarily toxic industrial chemicals, such as benzene, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, chloroprene, PFAS, and vinyl chloride. These chemicals are routinely transported by train and truck all over the country, past schools, daycare centers, and neighborhoods where our children live, learn, and play.
The petrochemical industry has gotten away with massive assaults on the health and well-being of generations of people around the country.
- On the Gulf Coast, there are so many polluting petrochemical plants that the area surrounding it is referred to as “Cancer Alley.” Children who live near these facilities suffer from high rates of leukemia and other illnesses.
- Fewer than 15 miles from the East Palestine derailment, the Shell petrochemical facility in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, has already exceeded its allowable pollution limits for the year—in its first 100 days of operation.
- Now petrochemical companies are building new facilities all along the Ohio River Valley and the Gulf Coast with plans to triple the production of plastic.
The damage that has been inflicted by the petrochemical industry is a disgrace to this country and to the agencies that are mandated by law to protect peoples’ health.
Our government needs to do more to hold the petrochemical polluters and the companies that run these “train bombs” through our neighborhoods accountable. These companies should be paying the entire cost of cleanup and providing future support and health care for those who have been exposed to their carcinogenic chemicals.
EPA needs to crack down on the flagrant abuses of the plastics industry and to strengthen protections from petrochemical pollution. President Biden needs to use the executive powers of his office to rein in plastics production and protect communities.
TELL BIDEN AND EPA: PROTECT PEOPLE FROM THE DISASTROUS PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY