JD Vance announces $10 million study into long-term health effects of East Palestine chemical spill

Vance recounted the events of the February 2023 derailment of that Norfolk Southern train, adding, "What happened then is that people got very worried. And I've been to East Palestine a number of times, and they're very worried about what are the long-term impacts of these chemicals in the water, in the air, what effect does it have on their kids and grandkids after five years, 10 years, 15 years of exposure? And the crazy thing is, number one, we didn't have a good answer to that question. Science had never actually tried to understand what the long-term exposure of these trace chemicals would do to people."

"And the second crazy thing is that as much as I tried as United States senator to work with the Biden administration, they refused to do anything to actually study the effects of these long-term exposures on the people of East Palestine. Well, now we have a new president and a great new Secretary of Health and Human Services, and he's got an incredible announcement. We're finally going to study the effects of these chemicals and finally get to the bottom of what effect this terrible train crash and the ensuing consequences had on the people of East Palestine."

Kennedy said that residents in the area of the derailment "immediately began experiencing a range of initial health symptoms, including headaches and respiratory and akin and eye irritation, prompting concerns about the broader long-term impacts on maternal and child health."

He said that the NIH has launched a five-year, $10 million research initiative "to address health outcomes stemming from this calamity."

"This is the first large-scale, coordinated, multi-year federal study focused specifically on the long-term health impacts of the East Palestine disaster," which will support "robust community-engaged epidemiological research to understand the impacts of exposures on short and long-term injuries," as well as "public health tracking and surveillance of the community's health conditions to help us make informed health care choices and take appropriate preventative measures."

Bhattacharya added, "The purpose and goal of the NIH, the mission is to advance the health and well being of the American people, and this is the concrete way that we're going to do that the NIH is working to ensure that the people of East Palestine and the surrounding communities are listened to, cared for, and they get the answers they deserve."

The derailment saw dozens of train cars come off the track, including ones containing vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylene glycol, and other chemicals, catching fire. The community was evacuated while a controlled burn of the chemicals was conducted, a move that the National Transportation Safety Board later said was "not necessary." Investigators with the NTSB found that the derailment occurred when a bearing on a hopper car failed and overheated.