Worries over East Palestine debris being burned in Eaton

EATON TWP. — Ross Environmental Services' incinerator on Giles Road will be burning debris and waste materials from Norfolk Southern's train derailment in East Palestine on Feb. 3. Despite government officials' assurances of safety, the decision has some area residents worried, upset and scared. One such resident — Nick Masters of Grafton — stood at the corner of state Routes 82 and 83 in Eaton Township on Tuesday holding a sign that read "Stop East Palestine toxic waste is being shipped to Grafton today," with a black skull and crossbones. Masters said he only found out late Monday night that debris from the train derailment was bound for Ross Incineration's facility on Giles Road and "I had to do something." He said most everyone in the community had heard of the East Palestine derailment and that other states had turned away shipments of potentially toxic debris, soil and water that could contain vinyl chloride. Vinyl chloride is used in the manufacture of plastics including PVC pipe. A gas that evaporates and burns easily at room temperature, it was in a number of the train cars that derailed. Officials burned off much of the gas to prevent it from causing an explosion, but worries remain about how much might be left on crash debris and what effect it might have on wildlife and residents in East Palestine. According to the Ohio Department of Health, long-term exposure has been linked to liver cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer and some blood cancers. The National Cancer Institute also has a website on the dangers of vinyl chloride, a chemical it said also is commonly found in tobacco smoke. "We all breathe the air and drink the water," said Masters, who said this is the first time he's ever protested anything. "If there ever was a time this was important, it's now." Masters said he talked with a number of neighbors, residents and officials on Tuesday, and those who stopped to talk during his protest were "very supportive." He said he planned to contact township officials to see if anything can be done. "It just seems like a major risk," Masters said. Messages seeking comment on the protest were left for Ross Environmental Services spokespersons on Tuesday. The company has been in business since 1949, according to its website. On Monday, as part of public statements about the Feb. 3 derailment, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that Norfolk Southern was removing contaminated soil and liquid from the derailment site in East Palestine and shipping portions of it to Ross Incineration on Giles Road in Eaton Township. The shipments started after waste removal was paused for a day on orders of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The incinerator is a licensed hazardous waste facility that can handle contaminated waste from the derailment site, according to DeWine's office. The Ohio EPA said more than 4,800 cubic yards of contaminated soil was removed from the derailment site as of Monday. Approximately 280 tons of soil was disposed of at a facility in Michigan and a smaller amount at a facility in East Liverpool. Another estimated 1.8 million gallons of liquid waste was collected. Of that, 1.249 million gallons were disposed of at a facility in Texas, 319,000 gallons were disposed of at a facility in Michigan, and more than 94,300 gallons were disposed of at a facility in Vickery in Sandusky County, Ohio. In a statement, Ross said it is working with Ohio and U.S. EPA officials to treat contaminated soil collected in East Palestine following the Feb. 3 derailment. "We've been asked to help East Palestine as quickly as possible," Ross CEO James Larson said. "This is what we do every day, and incineration is the best available technology to safely handle this material. This incident has caused our fellow Ohioans to suffer heartbreak, fear and anger. We share in those sentiments." Ross' statement said the soil, considered hazardous waste, will arrive by truck to the incinerator and will be managed, sampled, inspected, stored and then incinerated. Among the waste is soil, gravel, and debris such as plastic and wood, according to Ross, which will be fed into its high-temperature incinerator. "Incineration is the most effective treatment method out there for these types of materials. And we've been safely handling wastes of this nature for over 70 years," Larson said. Ross' incinerator has "a state-of-the-art air pollution control system that captures any remaining contaminants from the incineration process to assure they are not released to the environment," according to the company's statement. The company said the Ohio EPA will monitor the entire process. According to a U.S. EPA fact sheet titled "A Citizen's Guide to Incineration," properly designed and operated incinerators can safely destroy harmful chemicals as long as proper temperatures are maintained and air pollution control equipment is monitored and working. Such arguments don't convince residents like Daisie Reish, who lives on Giles Road west of the incinerator, is a longtime critic of Ross, and who said Tuesday that "just because the EPA says it, doesn't make it right." "They don't think about the people here," she said. "They say they're doing the right thing. How do I know that? How do I know that those chemicals aren't getting in the air? How do I know it isn't causing people to be sick?" Unrelated to the train derailment, Ross Environmental Services is hosting a public information session on its plans to expand its incinerator. The public information session is from 5-7 p.m. tonight at the Lorain County FOP Lodge No. 54 at 36854 Royalton Road in Eaton Township. Details on the incinerator facility's expansion, proposed zoning changes and residual waste monofill will be given, according to a public Facebook Event post. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @DaveOBrienCT.