US environmental agency opens office near site of Ohio toxic train derailment

The agency is continuing to monitor the air around East Palestine and working to protect the area during the cleanup, said EPA administrator Michael Regan.

The agency on Tuesday opened an office where people can sign up for air monitoring inside their homes and cleaning services at their homes and businesses. Residents can also go to the office to ask officials other questions about the cleanup effort.

Crews resumed hauling contaminated waste from the derailment on Monday after concerns were raised about oversight of where it was being shipped.

The EPA has ordered Norfolk Southern to cover the costs of cleaning up from the 3 February derailment that toppled 38 rail cars. No one was hurt, but concerns over a potential explosion led state and local officials to approve releasing and burning toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker cars.

Many residents remain worried about what they might have been exposed to and how it will affect the area in the years ahead.