LISBON — Residents are reminded that this Saturday, Jan. 31, is the deadline to apply for the second round of sampling for the expanded water well testing program in areas outside of the East Palestine priority zones.

County Health District Public Information Officer and Environmental Director Laura Fauss issued the reminder during the health district’s recent meeting. She said as of last week, testing of 54 of the 100 samples from the first round had been completed with nothing detected.

As part of the Expanded Potable Water Sampling Program, up to 100 private water wells will be sampled each year through 2031. Since the first round didn’t start until late in 2025, those samples from the first round are still being tested.

An application can be printed from the health district website at www.columbiana-health.org or picked up at the office at 7360 state Route 45, Lisbon during normal business hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office was closed Monday, but is expected to reopen today. All test results will be posted on the health district website.

Private drinking water wells sampled under the program must be located in Columbiana County and outside of the current Priority Zones for the East Palestine train derailment response, with the water well functional and capable of drawing water from the ground to a spigot.

The program is specifically for water wells inside the county but outside the priority zones which include a 1-mile radius near the derailment crash site, the village of East Palestine itself, a strip following Leslie Run to Negley and another strip of Leslie Run that goes to the Ohio River.

The third anniversary of the train derailment and fire falls on Feb. 3, one week from today.

During the health board meeting, county Health Commissioner Dr. Wes Vins advised board members about an upcoming community meeting hosted by the East Palestine Train Derailment Health Research Program at East Palestine High School Auditorium from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 2. The meeting is open to the public and will be recorded and posted online.

The East Palestine Train Derailment Health Research Program Team includes members from the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, University of Kentucky, University of Pittsburgh and Yale.

In other business, Fauss said January is National Radon Action Month, aimed at educating residents about the risks from radon. There’s information about radon on the health district website at columbiana-health.org, along with a link to get a free radon test kit from the state of Ohio. Click on Data & Resources and scroll down to radon. Click the link at ohio.radon.com regarding the test kit.

According to the EPA website at epa.gov, “You can’t see, smell or taste radon, but it could be present at a dangerous level in your home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America and claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year. In fact, the EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General urge all Americans to protect their health by testing their homes, schools and other buildings for radon.

Exposure to radon is a preventable health risk and testing radon levels in your home can help prevent unnecessary exposure. If a high radon level is detected in your home, you can take steps to fix the problem to protect yourself and your family.”

According to Fauss, Health Services Administrator Amanda Amato talked about respiratory viruses, reporting there were 19 hospitalized cases of COVID-19 from Jan. 1 to Jan. 21. During that same time period, there were two hospitalized cases of RSV and 16 hospitalized cases of flu. There were still no measles cases in Columbiana County.

COVID test kits are still available at the health district, limited to two per household.

As a reminder, Amato talked about the free car seat and pack-n-play program, which has been operated since 2015. The program offers education for safe sleep, car seats and car seat installation assistance if needed. The program offers pack-n-plays, infant carriers, convertible car seats and booster seats.

To qualify, the applicant must be Women, Infants and Children-income eligible, a resident of Columbiana County, and have an age-eligible child or be in the third trimester of pregnancy. The program is funded through the Department of Job and Family Services.

To apply, call 330-424-0272 extension 114.

In other matters, the board issued board orders for an accumulation of garbage, requiring removal, against James and Tammy Frantum, for a property on Rochester Road, East Rochester, and against Samantha Adams, for a property on Clarks Mill Road, Hammondsville. A board order for a property on Hibbets Mill Road, Wellsville, was tabled.

The board agreed to transfer an Americans With Disabilities Act-nonADA restroom at the Columbiana County Fairgrounds to the county fair board, with the transfer approved by the Ohio Department of Health. The health department used a grant to purchase the restroom previously. Bids for the next bid group for the Water Pollution Control Loan Funds for septic system installations are due by 4 p.m. Feb. 17, with another WPCLF project completion extended to May 5 due to weather.

The board certified the 2026 carryover of an estimated $970,000 and appropriated a carryover of $19,400 for contract services under health projects. Fauss said part of the 2026 carryover was due to budgeting a 10% increase for health insurance which came in at a total less than expected, creating a savings.

The next meeting of the health district board will be 4:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at the health district headquarters, 7360 state Route 45, Lisbon.