A supermarket chain is removing bottled water manufactured at a plant outside East Palestine, Ohio, from their shelves.
There have been significant questions about the safety of the air and water in the town after a train carrying hazardous materials derailed on February 3.
Grocery chain Giant Eagle announced on Tuesday that they would stop selling gallon-size or larger bottles of water manufactured near the derailment site.
The manufacturing facility in question is in Salineville, which is about 25 miles from East Palestine.
“The only Giant Eagle brand products sourced from the Salineville facility and sold in our Giant Eagle, Market District and GetGo stores are varieties of spring water packaged in gallon-size-or-greater containers,” Giant Eagle spokesman Dan Donovan stated in a press release obtained by the Akron Beacon Journal.
“Giant Eagle has been in daily contact with representatives from the facility and has learned that the water used in these products comes from a protected spring located at a higher elevation than East Palestine and is not near groundwater sources directly impacted by the incident.”
The spokesman said that the facility uses third-party testing for water quality and has not found any evidence that the water has been contaminated.
Still, Donovan said that they would stop selling the water “while we continue to evaluate ongoing testing and potential impacts to the spring source.”
“Donovan said bottled water from the Salineville facility with a best-by date after Feb. 3, 2025 came from the facility after the derailment,” the report explained. “Those who want a refund should either bring the bottles or a receipt to their local Giant Eagle, Market District or GetGo location.”
On Friday, the Ohio EPA released their final testing results, saying “that there is no indication of risk to East Palestine Public Water customers.”
“Treated drinking water shows no detection of contaminants associated with the derailment,” the agency said.
Politicians, including Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, started drinking the tap water in East Palestine on camera over the weekend to “prove” that it is safe.
Many have remained skeptical as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has estimated that at least 3,500 fish, primarily minnows and darters, have been found dead spanning over seven miles of streams.
