The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
March 17, 2023

High Levels of Toxic Chemicals Detected in East Palestine Soil After Train Derailment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In East Palestine, Ohio, newly released data shows soil around the site
of February's Norfolk Southern train derailment contains levels of
dioxin hundreds of times higher than what's considered safe. That's
according to The Guardian, which had the data reviewed by former EPA
officials and other chemical experts, who said dioxins found in East
Palestine were extremely concerning, even if they're below the federal
cleanup threshold. The findings also contradicted assertions by the EPA,
which told Congress last week dioxin levels were "very low." In 2010,
when the EPA found dioxin poses cancer risks, the agency tried to have
those limits lowered, but the Obama administration kept the higher
threshold in place.

In related news, two trains operated by BNSF derailed in Arizona and
Washington state Thursday. In Washington, cleanup teams were deployed
after some 5,000 gallons of fuel leaked onto the Swinomish tribal
reservation.


.