Several unions and consumer organizations expressed concern about private ownership of railways and a "profit-driven approach", which they state puts workers and communities at high risk.

The settlement will fund village priorities related to the derailment and acknowledges the $13.5 million Norfolk Southern has already paid for water treatment upgrades and new police and fire equipment.

[24] In an effort to prevent further explosions, Norfolk Southern emergency crews, at the direction of Unified Command under the East Palestine fire chief,[42] conducted a controlled release and burn of the five tanks of vinyl chloride into the air.

[35] On February 8, state and federal EPA workers noticed oily spillage on the soil and notified Norfolk Southern, which began removing it with a vacuum truck.

[56] Norfolk Southern and their clean-up contractors testified that their rationale for the burn was the belief that polymerization of the vinyl chloride was imminent;[57] this required quickly increasing ambient temperature and an oxygen infusion – neither of which occurred.

Officials from Oxyvinyl, also involved in litigation from the incident,[58] testified that the temperature in the derailed tank cars was descending, no deadly chemical reaction was occurring, so the controlled burn was unnecessary.

[43][35] On February 23, Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, stated that the derailment potentially killed more than 43,000 fish, crustaceans, amphibians and other marine animals.

[68] In late March, CBS News reported that inhabitants have continued to experience health symptoms, despite officials asserting that no harmful chemicals were detected in the air or water.

[70] William M. Diesslin, board chair of the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management,[71][72] suggested that burning vinyl chloride was "the lesser of two evils", from reading from the emergency response guide and from safety data sheets.

[75] In early March 2023, seven investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including some from the Epidemic Intelligence Service, fell sick when inspecting the crash site, with symptoms matching those of East Palestine residents.

[77] In June 2024, an analysis of precipitation and pollution data from rain and snow samples by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program revealed that "extreme concentrations of multiple pollutants", including chloride, and "exceptionally high" pH levels relative to historical levels were present over a widespread area, suggesting an area of impact from the accident and subsequent fire covering 1.4 million km2 and including portions of 16 US states (and likely Canada, for which data was not available).

[97] In late February 2023, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw visited East Palestine and spoke with local officials, first responders and NS employees residing in the region.

[109] Former President Donald Trump visited East Palestine on February 22, giving a speech half a mile away from the wreckage in which he criticized the federal response to the disaster[110][111] and offered relief.

[112][113] On the evening of February 22, Governor DeWine, EPA Administrator Regan and Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw appeared at a CNN town hall in East Palestine.

[139] In May 2024, Norfolk Southern agreed to spend $310 million as a settlement for its part in the East Palestine derailment accident that streamed dangerous chemicals into the water table, nearby rivers and waterways.

Other provisions include improving coordination with government officials during emergencies and chemical burns, upgrading hazardous materials-carrying railcars, lower train speeds and better braking systems.

[139] In September 2024, Federal Judge Benita Person ruled a final approval on the $600 million (US) that Norfolk Southern offered as settlement for a class-action suit on the train derailment.

[118] In January 2025, a $5 million lawsuit was filed against Norfolk Southern by Kelly Likovich and Terry Berresford, owners of the State Line Tavern in East Palestine, alleging that the derailment caused irreparable damage to their business and a nearby rental property.

This incident raised concerns among federal officials about Norfolk Southern’s handling of hazardous materials and prompted a regulatory response from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the FRA.

Following the derailment, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg issued a Call-to-Action, urging improvements in rail safety and stricter regulations for high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs).

[147][148] On June 22, the NTSB began a two-day public "field hearing" in East Palestine, which included testimony from emergency responders and scientists, and from representatives from Norfolk Southern and their contractors, rail unions, and chemical manufacturers.

[153] Chief Drabik testified that local jurisdictions lack centralized communication and a 911 command center, and that more hazmat training and federal funding was required for small, mostly volunteer, departments like his own.

[149] Local fire chief Keith Drabick testified that he was "blindsided" by the question of whether to vent and burn the tank cars carrying vinyl chloride, and that Norfolk Southern had given him only 13 minutes to decide.

Representatives from chemical manufacturer OxyVinyls testified they believed at the time that their product was stable and had notified Norfolk Southern that a vent and burn was not required, but that the railroad had not passed on that information.

[163][164] A few weeks later, Brockovich traveled to East Palestine, Ohio where she was interviewed by local media, and appeared at one of several high-profile town hall meetings on Friday night, Feb.

[172] Ohio Senator JD Vance, joined by other lawmakers, asked the Biden administration for funding to conduct a long-term study on the health effects the derailment disaster might have on nearby residents.

[175] Conspiracy theories, such as those promulgated by congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and football player Aaron Rodgers, claimed the U.S. government had faked the high-altitude objects to distract from the derailment, allegations of American responsibility for the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, and the release of Jeffrey Epstein's client list.

[181][182] Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying and South China Morning Post columnist Alex Lo suggested Western media were deliberately overemphasizing high-altitude object stories over the derailment.

[198][199] A recurring theme from her appearances is that the nation has, for decades, in the name of profits over people, continued to put off necessary infrastructure improvements, tighter regulations and better response to protect the health, safety and welfare of communities from long-term bodily harm and environmental damage.

On March 2, 2024 three Norfolk Southern trains collided and derailed in Easton, Pennsylvania, with approximately $2.5 million (US) in damages to track and the railcars, as well as non-life-threatening injuries to seven NS crew members.