White House defends Ohio train derailment response

The Biden administration on Friday defended its response to a Feb. 3 derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio that caused a fire and sent a cloud of smoke over the town, saying it was sending more federal resources.

The White House said the Health and Human Services Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are deploying a team of medical personnel and toxicologists to conduct public health testing and assessments. Federal Railroad Administration chief Amit Bose will visit the site next week, while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting additional soil testing near the derailment, officials said.

The derailment of the Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) operated train forced thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off chemicals. There were no reported fatalities or injuries. EPA air monitoring testing has not detected any levels of health concern stemming from the derailment.