Ohio one of the nation’s worst states for transporting hazardous materials; Find out where it ranks
An April 2026 analysis by Trace One has deemed that Ohio sees the 7th most hazardous materials transport incidents in the country per capita.
Notably, the report also determined that “Ohio leads the nation with an astounding $920.8 million in total hazmat transit damages, far exceeding every other state.” This whopping figure (responsible for over 75% of the country’s total hazmat transit damages in the last five years, which sits at $1.183 billion) is largely a consequence of the widely publicized, large-scale train derailment of February 2023 in East Palestine, OH, that caused train cars to catch fire, released toxic gases in the air, and contaminated nearby water streams with hazardous materials.
The analysis looked at the total hazmat transit incidents per 100,000 residents during a five-year period from April 1, 2021 to April 1, 2026. Most incidents were found to involve highway shipments—over air, rail, or water transit—and the transportation of corrosive materials or flammable liquids, two of the most commonly transported and widely used hazardous materials among industries.
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Hazardous materials refer to those “capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property,” according to the analysis. In the last five years, Ohio saw 7,991 hazmat transport incidents, 88 of which caused hospitalization or death. Texas (11,748), California (11,462), Illinois (8,764), and Florida (7,292) also topped that list, as these states are “major hubs” for freight movement, energy production, and manufacturing.
This growth in incidents—an 84.8% increase since 2010—is primarily due to a lack of compliance, according to the analysis, such as packaging failures, improper hazard communication, and mistakes on shipping documentation. And the impact of such incidents can be considerable—environmental damage, fires, chemical spills, and supply chain issues.
Steps are being taken to lessen these incidents, like increased maximum civil penalties, made effective in 2025, for lapses in compliance with hazmat transportation, as well as access to new digital compliance tools to improve documentation efforts.
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