Crops in eastern Ohio were not contaminated by a February train derailment, according to a new report.
Ohio tested for 26 semi-volatile organic compounds on farms within 5 miles of the East Palestine wreck site and found no reportable levels.
The 31 field samples included winter wheat and barley, pasture, alfalfa, grass hay, and grass from conservation waterways in Columbiana County.
The state Department of Agriculture collected the samples April 10 to 12, and Ohio State University technicians tested the samples. Landowners were able to suggest areas they thought might be contaminated.
Animals are most likely to consume the tested compounds with plant material if the chemicals or contaminated soil end up on the outside of the plant. That’s not likely to have happened with the derailment, the report says.
A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous substances partially derailed Feb. 3 in East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania border. Toxic fumes were vented and burned three days later to prevent a possible explosion.
Environmental testing by both states and the federal government has found little cause for concern, but the sampling and cleanup are continuing.
More than 40,000 tons of soil and 17 million gallons of wastewater have been removed from the derailment site, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
