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  • Purpose of Oil Pollution Prevention regulation

    What is the purpose of the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation? When oil spills into navigable waters or onto adjoining shorelines, it can have harmful impacts on the environment, human health, and economic activity. EPA issued the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation to prevent oil spills and to assure that oil facility…

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  • What is defined as a structure (home or place of business)?

    While generally defined as a building, a structure under the structural cleaning program will include only those habitable spaces where indoor occupancy is frequent and regularly occurring on a daily or near-daily basis. Examples of residential structures include primary residences and living spaces, and examples of commercial structures include offices…

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  • Why is cleaning of homes and places of businesses happening?

    Norfolk Southern, with EPA oversight, is providing indoor cleaning to eligible occupants in response to concerns about the impact of the derailment and cleanup work on homes and places of businesses. The cleaning is to address potential dust that may have been generated as part of the train derailment and…

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  • What work still needs to be done at the derailment site?

    Although contaminated soil has been excavated and removed from the derailment site, some additional work remains. Soil sampling continues to check all areas where cleanup operations took place. Stream assessments continue, and culvert clean out has started. Groundwater and drinking water sampling also continues. Expect these investigations and possible additional…

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  • What is the research workshop that National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the national academies are planning in East Palestine and the greater community?

    NIH is putting plans in place to work with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to hold a workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to explore potential research priorities to understand the short- and longterm health impacts of the Norfolk Southern Train Derailment. The workshop will be…

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  • Does this mean my home or place of business is contaminated?

    No. However, indoor cleaning is being offered to address potential dust emissions that may have been generated as part of the train derailment and cleanup work. This service is being offered as an additional service to interested members of the community.

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  • Why are street cleaners no longer watering Taggart the same way they used to?

    Street cleaners now lightly mist Taggart with water before using a vacuum truck to collect material from the road. Crews adopted this approach to keep sediment and dust out of the storm drains and Sulphur Run.

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  • SPCC Training Materials for Production Sector

    Does EPA offer any Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) training materials specifically for the production sector? Yes. EPA has developed a “train-the-trainer” presentation for the production sector. The presentation provides information for organizations to hold trainings on the SPCC rule. The presentation is available in the SPCC Rule: Train-the-Trainer…

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  • Why are you cleaning homes and places of business?

    Since the derailment, property owners and renters have voiced concerns about the impact of the derailment and cleanup work on their homes and place of business. In response, Norfolk Southern, with EPA oversight, is providing indoor cleaning to interested, eligible occupants.

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  • Will cleaning the creeks be the last action taken at Sulphur Run and Leslie Run?

    EPA’s Order requires detailed identification (characterization) of contamination in Sulphur Run and Leslie Run. The stream characterization will include surface water and sediment testing for contaminants of concern including vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate. This stream characterization will find any areas of remaining contamination and inform the next steps for…

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  • I’m not concerned about dust. What about chemicals that may have been released by the event or the cleanup?

    The air and soil in and around the community has been monitored and sampled, and results confirm our confidence that the air and soil in East Palestine and surrounding communities, including inside homes, is not a concern for incident specific chemicals. While community testing conducted to date has not indicated…

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