Norfolk Southern employees falling ill while cleaning up in East Palestine

Maintenance workers for Norfolk Southern are becoming ill while working the cleanup efforts at the East Palestine train derailment site.

A month ago, a Norfolk Southern train traveling from Madison, IL to Conway, PA derailed in the small Ohio village of 4,700, forcing nearly half of the town to be evacuated as rail cars caught fire before officials decided to conduct a chemical release of vinyl chloride and other toxic chemicals into the air two days later.

According to the American Rail System Federation, one of America’s rail unions, stands by the statement that Norfolk Southern workers are getting sick.

Symptoms that Norfolk Southern workers are experiencing include nausea and headaches. The union also claims NS workers have not been provided proper personal protection equipment (PPE).

Norfolk Souther officials dispute the claims about the PPE, saying they spoke with hazardous materials specialists before beginning their response effort in East Palestine.