Washington, DC (February 16, 2024)—President Biden will visit East Palestine, Ohio, today to mark the one-year anniversary of a hazardous train derailment incident. Greenpeace USA is calling for immediate action to protect human health and the environment from the toxic impacts of plastics, which have already harmed far too many in East Palestine and across the country.
During the incident, vinyl chloride (a cancer-causing chemical used to make PVC plastic) was released and burned, causing thick, toxic black smoke to envelop surrounding neighborhoods and farms in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Residents in affected areas reported experiencing adverse health effects such as headaches, nose bleeds, skin rashes, central nervous system symptoms, thyroid problems, and more. One year later, the aftermath persists, with many of these residents still suffering from health issues stemming from the disaster.
John Hocevar, Greenpeace Oceans Campaign Director, said: “We remain deeply concerned for the health and well-being of all residents of East Palestine and Pennsylvania exposed to toxic chemicals in this ongoing disaster. We call on the Biden Administration to take the necessary measures to provide immediate and long-term support and environmental monitoring to the impacted communities.”
“The devastation resulting from the manufacture and disposal of plastics extends far beyond those suffering in Ohio. Plastics contain thousands of chemicals, and more than 3,000 of them have been associated with severe health outcomes, such as cancer, lung and cardiovascular disease, nerve disorders, and reproductive harm. Black and Brown communities, where plastic processing plants are predominantly located, are disproportionately affected. Communities surrounding PVC production facilities suffer from serious toxic chemical pollution of their groundwater supply, surface water, and air. Workers in these facilities suffer some of the worst health impacts. We cannot allow petrochemical corporations to continue to put their own profits above the health of their workers or surrounding communities.
President Biden has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect the health and safety of communities by supporting a Strong Global Plastics Treaty that reduces plastic production by at least 75% and provides a just transition for impacted communities.”
Greenpeace USA and several other NGOs, in collaboration with key community leaders from East Palestine and Pennsylvania who have been organizing in response to the derailment over the last year, delivered a letter to the President ahead of his visit. The groups recommend that the federal government issue an emergency disaster declaration and work with Senators J.D. Vance, Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey, John Fetterman, and members of Congress to take immediate and long-term measures to address the health impact on the affected communities and environmental monitoring. At the global level, countries are considering a ban on PVC, the type of plastic produced using the chemical spilled in the disaster that poisoned East Palestine, through the Plastics Treaty.
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Contact: Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA (+1) 703-342-9226, [email protected]
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems.
