Escaping the Norfolk Southern Death Zone in East Palestine

Josh and his wife Abby are lifelong residents of East Palestine, OH. On the evening of February 3, 2023, their lives changed forever. When the Norfolk Southern train derailed in their small town, five of the rail cars were carrying the very toxic chemical, vinyl chloride. And as the cars burned, the results of the combustion released the deadly chemical dioxin into the atmosphere.

In this episode, Josh takes us through what this experience was and has been like: from the night of the derailment, the mad dash to escape what Ohio governor Mike Dewine called the “death zone,” to the highly disruptive existence in a hotel room miles from their home. Josh takes us through how his family reacted to very brief exposure to the chemicals, the medical treatments, and the day to day anxiety of dealing with Norfolk Southern.

The interviewer is Mark Goode, FaCT Ohio’s podcast producer. FaCT Ohio is a 501-3c non-profit dedicated to informing fellow citizens of Ohio about risks to the environment and the challenges climate change are bringing to the state.