the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced they have ordered rail company Norfolk Southern to test the area for dioxins, a dangerous and persistent class of pollutants created when plastic is burned**. Though EPA officials have said the previous monitoring for related chemicals around East Palestine suggests a “low probability” of dioxin contamination, they have ordered Norfolk Southern to test the area for dioxins due to concerns from the community.  The EPA will oversee the testing and “direct the company to conduct immediate clean up if contaminants from the derailment are found at levels that jeopardize people’s health.”

**Dioxins are produced when burning.. fossil fuels (including coal), municipal waste, cigarettes, tires and plastics. Combustion releases chlorine stored in those substances, which reacts with other compounds to form dioxins. The pollutants are of particular concern when plastic is burned because chlorine is a key element of plastics, including PVC and vinyl chloride. Dioxins are linked to cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, and immune system damage. (source)

Toxic Dioxin Testing Ordered for Train Derailment Area, says EPA – Chemical Free Life