The National Institutes of Health said Thursday it would fund long-term health research for residents of East Palestine, Ohio.
For a long time, the community has asked the government to do more to answer questions about the mental and physical effects of disasters.
The funding will be made available through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
In 2024, under the Biden administration, the Institute funded six two-year rapid response projects to study various aspects of post-disaster exposure and health issues. These projects were worth more than $1 million in total.
The new grant will award up to $10 million for one to three projects over the next five years.
The NIH said Vice President JD Vance, who was an Ohio Senator, sought funding when the derailment occurred.
“NIH is working to ensure that people in East Palestine and the surrounding communities listen, take care of them and get the answers that are appropriate for them,” NIH Director Dr. Jay Batacharya said in a news release. “This interdisciplinary research program will focus on public health tracking and community health monitoring, supporting health care decisions and precautions.”
Misti Alison, a resident of East Palestine, got a job as mayor after the disaster and exercised for a long-term health survey in the area, and she said she was surprised by the announcement. She is on the board of one of the current community health research boards.
“This next level of funding will allow us to carry out comprehensive and shocking research that can really make a difference in the region,” Allison said.
She notes that the funding announcement states that the study will be co-developed with community input. “This really ensures that our concerns and needs are at the forefront,” she said. “That’s really great.”
More than two years after the disaster, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, respiratory complaints and even cancer have skyrocketed, Alison said.. However, she noted that cancer has many causes, and it is difficult to directly link them from derailment to chemical exposure.
Jessica Connard, who developed asthma several months after her son breathed toxic smoke from the derailment, said the announcement led to a “complex combination of emotions.”
“We’ve had real symptoms for two and a half years and all we’ve received is gas lighting and firing from state, local and federal agencies,” Conard said.
“We still need an organized medical response, and this should have happened right after the disaster,” she said. “This feels like a political afterthought.
“My hope is that this $10 million won’t just fund another academic report on the shelf without a viable takeaway,” she said.
Allison said the community has proposed an emergency declaration to activate special provisions for victims of environmental exposure.
“These funds will be a lifeline for many families who are still dealing with health concerns and some financial difficulties,” she said.
Dr Andrew Welton, a civil and environmental engineer at Purdue University, said the need for funding is disappointing as he helps the community assess the impact of the disaster. He said indoor air testing would be insufficient if governments and communities were to make more money available to prevent exposure to residents in the first place.
“It’s positive that it could help us investigate questions about long-term health impacts, but it wasn’t necessary if the right decision was made and the people at the agency didn’t fail with the public,” Welton said.
The NIH said it would accept applications for the East Palestine Research Grant until July 21st.
