Ohio high school girl’s basketball team forfeits playoff game in East Palestine due to health concerns

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A girl’s high school basketball game was not played Thursday night in Ohio over health concerns following the train derailment in East Palestine on February 3rd.

The Bristol girl’s varsity basketball team forfeited their game against East Palestine High School in the Div. IV sectional opener as not enough players were willing to make the trip to the game, according to multiple reports. 

Members of the community gather at the high school for a town hall meeting following the February 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, OH.  (Rebecca Kiger for The Washington Post via Getty Images.)

The health concerns came after a Norfolk Southern Railroad train carrying vinyl chloride derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, a small community located along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

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To prevent an explosion, the company opted to release the gas from the derailed cars, releasing potentially deadly fumes and other dangerous chemicals into the air. 

"After considering the concerns of our families it has been decided that the game will not be played tonight and Bristol will unfortunately forfeit," Bristol Local Schools Superintendent Christopher Dray said in a statement, according to The Vindicator newspaper. 

A man raises his hand with a question for East Palestine, Ohio Mayor Trent Conaway, center, during a town hall meeting at East Palestine High School in East Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. The meeting was held to answer questions about the ongoing cleanup from the derailment on Feb, 3, of a Norfolk Southern freight