Giant Eagle pulls water bottled near East Palestine train derailment

Grocery chain Giant Eagle has temporarily stopped selling bottled water produced at a plant near East Palestine, Ohio, in light of concerns about the recent Norfolk Southern train derailment.

Spokesperson Dan Donovan said the company was operating “out of an abundance of caution” in its decision to remove all Giant Eagle brand spring water products sourced from the facility, located in Salineville, Ohio.

The only varieties of Giant Eagle spring water produced there are in gallon size and larger containers. The products are sold in Giant Eagle, Market District and GetGo stores.

The Salineville facility is about 25 miles southwest of East Palestine, where a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed Feb. 3. The crash caused a fire before Norfolk Southern’s emergency team conducted a controlled burn of five tanks of vinyl chloride to avoid an explosion.

Phosgene and hydrogen chloride, chemicals associated with a number of health risks, were released into the air during the fire.

According to Donovan, Giant Eagle has been in daily contact with representatives from the facility. The water used in the 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.”

A third-party lab has been testing Salineville’s raw water sources and finished products and “has not found any evidence” that the water was negatively impacted by the derailment, Donovan said.

“As we continue to receive these assurances from our Salineville water vendor, we also recognize that regional and national health officials continue to send resources to East Palestine to learn as much as possible about the potential impact to the health of the community,” he added.

The Salineville water bottles will remain off shelves “until further notice while we continue to evaluate ongoing testing and potential impacts to the spring source,” Donovan said.