On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, just across the Pennsylvania border, releasing toxic chemicals throughout the town and resulting in the venting and burning of vinyl chloride from five railcars that sent a huge black plume of smoke and soot into the air. The Allegheny Front’s reporters were some of the first on the scene and some of the few who continued to report on this incident throughout 2023.

This series, supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism, examines the public health response and what could be done better for the next chemical disaster, as well as the lingering questions around chemical contamination in the town.

Reporters Roundtable: What we learned from our investigation in East Palestine

Special thanks to our FIJ mentor, Pete Carey, retired Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist with the Mercury News California, for his advice and guidance on our project.