Hundreds of Pa. residents turn to Beaver County resource center near train derailment site for help

Pennsylvania’s Department of Health opened a resource center in Beaver County for state residents concerned about the impact of last month’s train derailment in nearby East Palestine, Ohio.

In the two days after it opened Tuesday, officials said about 200 residents of Beaver County and neighboring Lawrence County went to the center in Darlington Township to seek various resources and help.

There, authorities provided environmental consultation, medical evaluations and general public health information while also conducting Assessment of Chemical Exposure (ACE) surveys, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office.

The Norfolk Southern train that derailed was carrying hazardous chemicals and caused a fire that burned for days. The rail company conducted a controlled burn of five tankers that had been hauling vinyl chloride to avoid a potential explosion, sending a dark plume of smoke over the East Palestine area.

Residents, including several in Beaver County, were ordered to evacuate for several days. No injuries were reported, and subsequent testing by state and federal agencies showed no adverse effects to the region’s water and air quality.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Health, along with federal health officials, made door-to-door visits at the fewer than two dozen households within the one-mile evacuation zone to conduct ACE surveys.

The Shapiro administration said door-to-door visits will expand to more area residents in the coming days and weeks.

Shapiro said during a news conference Wednesday that he supports federal efforts to increase rail safety, and he wants to continue to put pressure on Norfolk Southern and other rail companies to adopt more safety regulations.

“We are going to hold Norfolk Southern and other rail companies’ feet to the fire and not let them lawyer up and lobbyist up and stop the kind of public safety initiatives that we need Congress to pass right now,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, whose district includes Lawrence County, said he wants the federal Environmental Protection Agency to expand mandatory water, soil and air testing beyond the one-mile radius from the crash site.

He said his constituents in Lawrence County have concerns about their soil and water.

“The people of Lawrence County deserve answers now. They deserve to know if their well water is safe to drink and if their soil is safe to plant ahead of the upcoming farming season,” Kelly said in a statement.

The Health Resource Center at the Darlington Township Building, 3590 Darlington Road, will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays through March 10.