As of February 15, 2023, the Lake County General Health District has not been alerted of any threat to the water or air because of the train derailment that happened in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3, 2023.
The LCGHD is actively monitoring the incident and will provide important updates to residents. If the situation changes and Lake County air and water are at risk of contamination or have become contaminated, the LCGHD will quickly alert the public via news media, Lake County Ohio’s Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS), social media, and the LCGHD website and will work to ensure the safety of Lake County residents.
The train derailment happened in Columbiana County near the Pennsylvania border about 70 miles from Lake County where 20 rail cars carrying hazardous materials overturned. Hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate, were among the materials in the overturned rail cars.
A controlled burn of the rail cars that had vinyl chloride was approved on Monday February 6, 2023 and according to officials the burn went as planned. On February 8, 2023, Gov. DeWine issued a statement saying that, “…evacuated residents in and around East Palestine can now safely return home,” and that, “There will be ongoing air monitoring in the area”.
Lake County residents can read day-to-day updates from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
