East Palestine, Ohio: The company responsible for the toxic train derailment that has left an American mid-west town gasping for fresh air has been heavily fined in the past, including for other deadly and dangerous chemical spills.

Two weeks after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous material came off the tracks in East Palestine, Ohio, locals say they are still feeling the effects, from respiratory problems and rashes to headaches and unusual odours.

Moo Blake has been diagnosed with acute bronchitis caused by the chemical fumes inhaled after the train derailment in East Palestine.Credit:Joe Appel

“I never had a breathing problem before, I’ve never had an asthma inhaler, and now I’m constantly catching my breath,” says 40-year-old Moo Blake, who ended up hospitalised from the chemical fumes and has since been diagnosed with acute bronchitis. “We didn’t ask for any of this.”

The disaster took place on February 3 when a train about 2.7 kilometres long barrelled through the small rural town of about 4700 people near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. The train had about 20 cars of hazardous material such as vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate, which are used to make plastic. Eleven of those cars derailed.

Two days later, worried a tank explosion was imminent, authorities ordered the evacuation of about 1500 residents so they could conduct a “control burn” to release vinyl chloride from a train car that was overheating. After chemicals blanketed the air and leaked into soil and nearby streams, some 3500 fish were killed, according to authorities. At least one lawsuit claims fish and wild animals are dying as far as 32km away from the site.

The wreckage of the freight train at East Palestine, Ohio, seen in drone footage on Saturday, February 4.Credit:AP

But as residents continue to ask for reassurance that their community is safe – and as Donald Trump prepares to visit East Palestine this week – documents reveal that Norfolk Southern has had 1518 train violations since 2000, amounting to $US69.2 million ($101.2 million) in penalties.

The violations, based on state and federal records compiled by corporate watchdog Good Jobs First, included 1487 safety offences and 22 environmental offences. Among the breaches was the 2005 Graniteville train crash, in which nine people were killed and some 250 were treated for toxic chlorine exposure when two trains collided in South Carolina.

At the same time, the company’s own figures show it has continued to boost revenue while cutting staff and lobbying against transportation safety rules, such as new braking systems.

“You get the impression that they just regard this as the cost of doing business,” Good Jobs First research director Phil Mattera told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. “They just go on paying the fines and it doesn’t seem like they take enough remedial action to address the problems.”

Chris Wallace stands outside of his home which is downstream from the derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio.Credit:Joe Appel

Chris Wallace and his partner Jamie were among those who left their home, which sits about two metres from a creek that runs through the centre of town but is now contaminated.

The couple and their three-year-old daughter initially took shelter at a relative’s house nearby, before moving into a hotel in the neighbouring state of West Virginia. They have refused to go home despite the evacuation order being lifted.

“On that first night, our noses felt burned, our throat, our lungs – it was terrible,” said Wallace.

“And I’ve never had foot odour in my life – my old lady can vouch for that – but I’ve been through two pairs of shoes because my feet feel like they’re detoxing from the chemicals constantly. It’s insanity.”

East Palestine has since become a hotbed for politicians, lawyers and celebrity activists. Trump, who is running for re-election next year and still has many loyal supporters in rural Ohio, will visit on Wednesday (US time), followed by environmental activist Erin Brockovich on Friday, who will hold a town hall meeting with a group of lawyers.

The derailment site on Monday, as the clean-up continues.Credit:Joe Appel

President Joe Biden has sent a series of tweets telling residents “we’ve got your back” after being criticised for visiting Ukraine before Ohio, while Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called on Congress to raise the cap on fines for railroad safety breaches. Under federal rules, the current maximum fine is $US225,455. Norfolk Southern’s revenue last year was $US12.7 billion.

On Wednesday, Environmental Protection Authority boss Michael Regan volunteered to drink tap water during a visit to a woman’s home to demonstrate that it was safe. He also announced the EPA had taken control of the clean-up and had ordered Norfolk Southern to foot the bill.

“It cannot undo the nightmare that families in this town have been living with, but it will begin to deliver much needed justice for the pain that has caused,” he said.

So far, about 6.8 tonnes of contaminated soil and 4 million litres of contaminated water have been removed from the site. Norfolk Southern chief executive Alan Shaw visited the town on Sunday after refusing to appear at an earlier community meeting, and pledged “to do the right things to help East Palestine recover and thrive again”.

Asked about the company’s record of violations, a spokesperson said reportable injuries had declined more than 20 per cent between 2020 and 2021, and a further 20 per cent last year.

“We diligently monitor our trains and infrastructure to identify potential hazards, and we invest approximately a billion dollars into maintaining our infrastructure annually,” the spokesperson said. “Our industry-leading engineering and mechanical teams are executing projects that enhance our inspection quality and infrastructure to provide safer outcomes.”

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