East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment

Latest Update, January 2026

• Site-wide cleanup and restoration are complete. 
• In summer 2025, crews cleaned remaining oily sheens from Leslie and Sulphur Runs and completed the final stream assessment for the project that fall. Data from the stream assessments can be viewed on the Qualitative Sheen Assessment page.
• Groundwater, surface water, and drinking water are sampled quarterly as part of the site’s long-term monitoring.
• Check the Documents section for site-related reports and plans.
• View previous editions of the newsletters on this webpage. Norfolk Southern continues to post weekly updates on its web page. 
• EPA is transitioning its information line to the Region’s toll-free number. If you have questions about the response, you can email R5_eastpalestine@epa.gov or call 800-621-8431. 
• EPA is not involved in the class action settlement with Norfolk Southern. For information and contacts on that case, please check this settglement webpage. 
  • For information on the U.S. case against the railroad read the EPA Settlement Update webpage.

See all Operational Updates

Background

At about 8:55 PM ET on February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, about a quarter-mile west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line.

Twenty of the affected cars contained hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol, ethylhexyl acrylate, butyl acrylate and isobutylene.

More Background Information

Newsletters and Documents