The National Institutes of Health said Thursday that it will fund longer-term health studies of the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, after a 2023 train derailment that sent more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals into the soil,

The initiative will examine potential long-term effects of exposure to vinyl chloride and other chemicals released during the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment.

The National Institutes of Health is launching a five-year, $10 million research initiative into the long-term health effects of the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. In a news release, the NIH said the effort comes "at the urging" of Vice President JD Vance, who was one of Ohio's U.S. senators at the time of the derailment.