Kent State Experts Weigh in on Aftermath of East Palestine Train Derailment

The derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials occurred on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. Nearly three weeks later, the media spotlight continues to shine on the village of 4,700 located about 50 miles southeast from the city of Kent.

David Kaplan, Ph.D., professor in Kent State University's Department of Geography and director of the Environmental Studies programKent State University faculty members have been contacted by various media outlets to lend their expert opinions and insight as cleanup work, air monitoring, water testing and more continues. Among those who have conducted media interviews are David Kaplan, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Geography and director of the Environmental Studies Program, and Kuldeep Singh, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, both within the College of Arts and Sciences.

In recent interviews, both Kaplan and Singh expressed the need for more testing.

“The government owes the people of East Palestine as much disclosure as possible to measure as many things as they may be worried about and rule out everything they can possibly rule out,” said Kaplan during an interview with WFMJ-TV in Youngstown, Ohio.

Kuldeep Singh, Ph.D., assistant professor in Kent State University’s Department of Earth SciencesABC News reached out to Singh, a groundwater hydrologist who also teaches contaminant hydrology, to discuss whether the train derailment affected East Palestine’s water supply. Singh told the ABC News reporter that long-term testing is needed to ensure the water supply is safe.

“What happens today is only a diagnostic of that space and time,” Singh told ABC News. “What may not happen in one location might be another location, what may not be in one particular location in time could be in another location in time.”

Media coverage with the Kent State experts includes:

On Feb. 16, the Kent City Health Department posted an announcement that stated there is no indication that the East Palestine incident has any environmental impact on the city of Kent residents and visitors.

Read more about the East Palestine train derailment.

POSTED: Thursday, February 23, 2023 03:50 PM
Updated: Friday, June 2, 2023 04:00 PM
WRITTEN BY:
Emily Vincent