A truck carrying hazardous material from the East Palestine train derailment crashed Tuesday in Novelty, Ohio, roughly 20 miles east of Cleveland. While a hazmat team has contained the spilled material, this crash is yet another misstep in the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern derailment in February last year, which contaminated the small town with toxic acrolein and vinyl chloride, and cleanup is still in progress.
The tanker truck crashed and rolled on a two-lane road over 70 miles away from the East Palestine train derailment site, according to WJW. The tanker was carrying 5,000 gallons of waste, categorized as Class 9 hazardous materials by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The waste was mainly rainwater from the derailment site. The local fire department was dispatched to contain the spilled diesel fuel. However, up to five gallons of hazardous waste spilled through minor leaks in the tanker’s dome lid.
The truck driver wasn’t seriously injured and was transported to a local hospital by paramedics. When the crash happened, he was headed to a deep well injection site to dispose of the hazardous wastewater properly. The Environmental Protection Agency stated in an update that the on-site wastewater treatment system was shut down until after the holiday break. The EPA explained the temporary closure was due to “maintenance and operational adjustments.”
The agency also stated Norfolk Southern is winterizing equipment at the on-site plant. Norfolk claims it has spent $100 million helping East Palestine recover, but the community is uncertain if their homes will ever be safe again. The initial comments that the area could be contaminated for years seem to be more accurate than anticipated.