Following the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, OH, the surrounding communities and agricultural producers were faced with questions regarding the safety of their products. The burning of vinyl chloride that was aboard the derailed train released semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and there was concern that these SVOCs may have contaminated the surrounding crop fields and cattle grazing land. Over the course of many conversations, meetings, and roundtables with stakeholders, it became clear that the community needed answers. This team immediately went into action and spent countless hours carefully considering appropriate protocols, procedures, and analytical measures to quantify trace levels of SVOCs in plant tissues. This team effectively served the communities surrounding East Palestine by placing timely, relevant, and much-needed data into the hands of local producers. This data allowed many to continue selling their grain and marketing livestock; and most importantly, it gave producers the confidence to engage in informed, non-biased conversations with their consumers.
FFH faculty director Dr. Devin Peterson was asked to serve on this response team and help develop a plant-tissue sampling protocol in partnership with the Ohio Department of Agriculture and other experts, including FFH Lead for Research Strategy and Development, Dr. Matt Teegarden. During the awards ceremony Dean Cathann Kress noted that this team exemplifies the CFAES commitment to the land-grant mission. She praised the response team for their ability to reach across the college and identify the expertise needed to ensure that Ohioans had the very best information to make good decisions for their businesses, their families, and their communities.
