On a cold night earlier this month, the sound of a train speeding through the center of town — typical background noise in the Ohio village near the Pennsylvania border — was replaced by a screeching and thundering halt, and roaring flames. The derailment of a Norfolk Southern train has upended lives, prompted recriminations from Republican and Democratic politicians and exposed some of the risks posed by transporting hazardous chemicals across the country. Here is what is known about what led to that moment, and what came after:
Here’s what the derailed Ohio train was carrying — and what was burned
A visual timeline of how the Norfolk Southern train disaster unfolded
Feb. 3: Minutes before derailment
A security camera captured the Norfolk Southern train near Salem, Ohio, 20 miles west of the site where it later derailed. What appears to be sparks and flames can be seen underneath one of the cars. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has since said that the derailment appears to have been caused by a mechanical problem on one car, saying a wheel bearing on that car appeared to have overheated.
Feb. 3: The accident
Around 9 p.m. on Feb. 3, approximately 50 cars derailed near the village of East Palestine, Ohio, a town of 4,700 residents just half-a-mile from the state border with Pennsylvania. The crash caused a fire spanning the length of the derailed cars.
Eleven of the derailed cars contained hazardous materials, some of which are used to make plastics. Vinyl chloride, a cancer-causing substance, was among the primary chemicals released in the crash, according to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency spokesman James Lee.
Vinyl chloride also releases other chemicals when it burns, many of which can be harmful to humans, experts say. Exposure to these chemicals can cause eye or throat irritation, as well as dizziness, nausea or headache.
The risk of coming into contact with the hazardous chemicals, as well as possible explosions, meant that firefighters could not immediately put out the blaze.
Feb. 6: The controlled release
Two days after the crash, officials monitoring the situation said there was serious concern one of the cars would explode in a “catastrophic” blast, according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), as the temperature in the car rose.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of about 1,500 residents and initiated a controlled release of vinyl chloride from five train cars to avert an explosion, sending a toxic plume into the air.
What the derailed train was carrying — and what was burned in the controlled release
What the derailed train was carrying —
and what was burned in the controlled release
Polyethylene, a common plastic
Empty car
Vinyl chloride,
a flammable and carcinogenic gas used to make plastic
Burned in
controlled
release
Dipropylene glycol and propylene glycol
Semolina
Polyvinyl (PVC), a common plastic
Ethylhexyl acrylate, used in adhesives and other products
Petroleum
lubricating oil
Various products: Diethylene glycol, isobutylene, butyl acrylate and petroleum derivative oil
Polyvinyl (PVC)
Vinyl chloride
Products like steel sheets, cotton balls and frozen vegetables
Benzene
Composite image from NTSB drone footage
What the derailed train was carrying —
and what was burned in the controlled release
Polyethylene, a common plastic
Empty car
Vinyl chloride,
a flammable and carcinogenic gas used to make plastic
Burned in
controlled
release
Dipropylene glycol and propylene glycol
Semolina
Polyvinyl (PVC), a common plastic
Ethylhexyl acrylate, used in adhesives and other products
Petroleum
lubricating oil
Various products: Diethylene glycol, isobutylene, butyl acrylateand petroleum derivative oil
Polyvinyl (PVC)
Vinyl chloride
Products like steel sheets, cotton balls and frozen vegetables
Benzene
Composite image from drone footage captured by the National Transportation Safety Board
What the derailed train was carrying — and what was burned in the controlled release
What the derailed train was carrying —
and what was burned in the controlled release
Polyethylene, a common plastic
Empty car
Burned in
controlled
release
Vinyl chloride,
a flammable and carcinogenic gas used to make plastic
Dipropylene glycol and propylene glycol
Semolina
Petroleum lubricating oil
Ethylhexyl acrylate, used in adhesives and other products
Petroleum
lubricating oil
Various products: Diethylene glycol, isobutylene, butyl acrylate and petroleum derivative oil
Polyvinyl (PVC)
Vinyl chloride
Products like steel sheets, cotton balls and frozen vegetables
Benzene
Composite image from drone footage captured by the National Transportation Safety Board
What the derailed train was carrying — and what was burned in the controlled release
Polyethylene, a common plastic
Empty car
Burned in
controlled
release
Vinyl chloride,
a flammable and carcinogenic gas used to make plastic
Dipropylene glycol and propylene glycol
Semolina
Petroleum lubricating oil
Ethylhexyl acrylate, used in adhesives and other products
Petroleum lubricating oil
Various products: Diethylene glycol, isobutylene, butyl acrylate and petroleum derivative oil
Polyvinyl (PVC)
Vinyl chloride
Products like steel sheets, cotton balls and frozen vegetables
Benzene
Composite image from drone footage captured by the National Transportation Safety Board
What the derailed train was carrying — and what was burned in the controlled release
Polyethylene, a common plastic
Empty car
Vinyl chloride,
a flammable and carcinogenic gas used to make plastic
Burned in
controlled
release
Dipropylene glycol and propylene glycol
Semolina
Polyvinyl (PVC), a common plastic
Ethylhexyl acrylate, used in adhesives and other products
Petroleum lubricating oil
Various products: Diethylene glycol, isobutylene, butyl acrylate and petroleum derivative oil
Polyvinyl (PVC)
Vinyl chloride
Products like steel sheets, cotton balls and frozen vegetables
Benzene
Composite image from drone footage captured by the National Transportation Safety Board
Measuring the impact
In the following days, fears about a broader environmental disaster in East Palestine and neighboring areas began to mount.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz said that about 3,500 fish died as local waterways including the Ohio River became contaminated. State officials said they had not collected any evidence of animals other than fish suffering from the spill, though residents have shared suspicions about chickens, rabbits, foxes and other animals falling ill.
Low levels of a chemical called butyl acrylate have been detected at multiple sampling sites along the Ohio River. State EPA officials have said that the concentrations detected pose no risk for drinking water supplies in the area.
Monitoring the Ohio River
Low levels of butyl acrylate have been measured in the Ohio River, downstream of the derailment site. The levels remain well below safe limits, according to officials.
Youngstown
Akron
Derailment
East Palestine
Butyl acrylate
detected Feb. 8
Feb. 8
Steubenville
Ohio
Feb. 8
Wheeling
Sampling site
with no detection
PA.
Downstream
Feb. 12
Feb. 13
Parkersburg
Feb. 15
West Virginia
20 MILES
Charleston
Huntington
Source: Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
0
10
20 mi
Monitoring the Ohio River
Low levels of butyl acrylate have been measured in the Ohio River, downstream of the derailment site. The levels remain well below safe limits, according to officials.
Youngstown
Akron
Derailment
East Palestine
Butyl acrylate
detected Feb. 8
Feb. 8
Steubenville
Ohio
Feb. 8
Wheeling
Sampling site
with no detection
PA.
Downstream
Feb. 12
Feb. 13
Parkersburg
Feb. 15
West Virginia
20 MILES
KY.
Charleston
Huntington
Source: Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
Virginia
Monitoring the Ohio River
Youngstown
Akron
Derailment
East Palestine
Beaver Falls
Low levels of butyl acrylate have been measured in the Ohio River, downstream of the derailment site. The levels remain well below safe limits, according to officials.
Butyl acrylate
detected Feb. 8
Feb. 8
Feb. 8
Pittsburgh
Steubenville
Ohio
Feb. 8
Wheeling
Sampling site
with no detection
Zanesville
Pennsylvania
Downstream
Morgantown
Feb. 12
Clarksburg
Feb. 13
Parkersburg
Feb. 15
West Virginia
Huntington
Charleston
20 MILES
Source: Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
Meanwhile, a pungent odor remains in the air in East Palestine, and some residents have complained of rashes, runny eyes and other symptoms.
Once cleanup of the derailment site is completed, state and federal environmental officials said a wider effort will begin to uncover and address any contamination that may have spread into soil and groundwater. Anne Vogel, director of the Ohio EPA, said that process will take “as long as it takes.”
There are concerns the pollution could be pervasive, and questions about how widely contamination may have spread through the plume of smoke during the controlled chemical release. For now, authorities say the air is safe to breathe and the municipal water supply safe to drink.
Naema Ahmed and Scott Dance contributed to this report. Editing by Monica Ulmanu, Juliet Eilperin and John Farrell.