EAST PALESTINE — Four months after the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment, the first town hall focused solely on public health was held at The Way Station inside East Palestine’s First United Presbyterian Church.

Erin Haynes, professor in the UK College of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health University of Kentucky College of Public Health listened to and answered residents’ questions. For many in the audience it was the first time their health concerns received validation.

Haynes promised those residents — who reported headaches, persistent nosebleeds, skin and eye irritation then and neurological, immunological, respiratory, and cardiovascular issues now — that she wasn’t going anywhere until public health answers were found.

“We are in this for the long haul,” Haynes told the crowd during that June 2023 informational session. “I don’t want to let you go until you know what the exposures may have been and what possible health outcomes you may be facing now and into the future.”

More than two and half years have now passed since the derailment and Haynes kept her word — Most recently by spearheading the East Palestine Investigation Consortium (EPIC) which was funded by a $1.8 million award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) as part of the $10 million initiative announced earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). With the funds, the first year of a comprehensive, critical research program examining the long-term health outcomes stemming from the East Palestine train derailment will be launched.

“I am so grateful to NIEHS for supporting our ongoing research with and for the East Palestine community,” said Haynes, the Kurt W. Deuschle Professor of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health. “This funding will allow us to conduct a comprehensive community health needs assessment, collect health data over time to more fully understand long-term impacts, implement a health research tracking system, and report back our research findings to the community. We will also work with other research teams to help answer the ongoing health and exposure questions the community is asking.”

Haynes began tracking community health issues shortly after the derailment and later one of six National Institute of Health (NIH) announced by then-President Joe Biden during a trip to the village in 2024 to continue to measure health symptoms, stress and well-being of East Palestine residents. That work included collecting blood and urine samples to measure vinyl chloride, dioxin and other toxins levels in the wake of the disaster and asking residents to wear wristbands that would measure chemicals present in the environment. Haynes “brought together an array of researchers, community partners and residents to create a comprehensive health strategy for East Palestine.” That team included East Palestine resident and public health professional Misti Allison who has since joined the Columbiana County Health District Board and continues to work with Haynes.

With this new funding from the NIEHS $10 million program that “allows researchers to adapt their work as new information emerges or as community needs evolve,” the EPIC “will measure long-term changes in health markers such as lung and immune function and mental health.”

The EPIC said success of study will rely heavily on community engagement and involvement.

“Local organizations will play an active role in the consortium, collaborating closely with researchers to ensure the work is firmly rooted in community priorities,” an EPIC statement said. “This community-driven approach will help guide study design, data collection, and the way results are shared, ensuring the research reflects the lived experiences and needs of East Palestine residents.”

The EPIC said, to strengthen its community partnership, a community meeting in East Palestine is planned in November “to provide updates on the research, answer questions, and share next steps.”

More details about the event will be announced in the coming weeks and will be open to the public.

Aside from the funds awarded to Haynes’ team, an additional $1 million of funding was awarded to Yale University’s Michelle Bell, Ph.D., Nicole Deziel, Ph.D., and James Saiers, Ph.D., who will evaluate water quality impacts through state-of-the-science hydrological modeling and the University of Pittsburgh’s Juliane Beier, Ph.D., will study liver and thyroid function, all as part of the research team. Darryl Hood, Ph.D., from The Ohio State University will serve as a consultant on the study.

selverd@mojonews.com