This is Biden's first visit to East Palestine since the incident occurred on February 3, 2023.
The press pool said Biden's motorcade passed by protesters holding up signs that said "Go home, sleepy Joe!" and "F*** Biden," while others gave the middle finger or thumbs down gesture to the president.
Other signs along the route of Biden's motorcade also stated "Trump won" and "Biden is not my president."
Last February, a train hauling 20 cars from Norfolk Southern with hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine. A big fire erupted due to the derailment, leading to officials burning vinyl chloride inside five of the tanker cars to avoid a catastrophic explosion. The accident released toxic chemicals, including hydrogen chloride, phosgene, butyl acrylate and ethylene, into the environment.
Despite repeated assurances that the air and water are safe, residents in the area told Sputnik of recent health impacts, including headaches, burning skin and irritated eyes as well as anxiety about long-term health risks such as cancer.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources told Sputnik last February that approximately 3,500 fish had died in waterways near the train derailment site.