Just outside a small town near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, nearly two weeks after a train carrying a toxic and flammable material derailed and filled the sky with black smoke, the disaster’s health and environmental impact. Many questions were raised about
A train derailment operated by Norfolk Southern near East Palestine, Ohio on February 3 started a large fire and released smoke from several toxic chemicals into the air. . To reduce the risk of explosions, officials said he released at least one chemical from five of his tanker trucks that derailed on February 6. (About 50 of the train’s 150 carriages were involved in the accident.) Some of the material was diverted to designated trenches, where it was incinerated, the Environmental Protection Agency said in his February 10 report. wrote in a letter to the railroad company.
But even today, scientists struggle to understand the short-term and long-term health effects of chemicals on residents of the town of 5,000 and its surrounding communities. Many reports focus on vinyl chloride, the clear, flammable gas used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which is used in everything from plumbing to packaging to flooring. . Scientists have known for decades that high doses of vinyl chloride can cause liver cancer. It can be dangerous. People can be exposed to the chemical as vapors or by drinking contaminated water.
“We are currently studying concentrations that are considered safe, and what we have observed in our studies is that these low doses can enhance underlying disease. Talk about “Vinyl Chloride Exposure in Animals.”
It is not clear how much risk PVC poses at this point now that much of what was on the train has been destroyed. far from it. The problem is that by the time a train full of PVC actually derails, there are usually no better options. (Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board continue to search for answers as to what caused the derailment in the first place.)
“Environmental risk assessments have to make a lot of decisions that you don’t want to make,” says Kim Garrett, an environmental toxicologist at Northeastern University.
In this case, that meant they chose to burn the PVC off rather than let it seep into the environment and wait to see if one or more vehicles exploded.
Garrett says the main risk associated with vinyl chloride combustion, whether controlled or not, is the production of two nasty chemicals. Phosgene and hydrogen chloride, which Germany and the Allies deployed during World War I to kill trenches full of soldiers. When inhaled, it can be converted in the lungs to hydrochloric acid, the main component of stomach acid. In this case, however, by deliberately burning off the vinyl chloride, responders could evacuate the occupants long enough for these two short-lived chemicals to decompose or otherwise change. I was.
Vinyl chloride wasn’t the only chemical on the train. A partial manifesto shared by the EPA provides more insight into some of the other substances transported. The agency’s February 10 letter also stated, “Vehicles containing vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether continue to be released into the atmosphere, surface soil, and surface water. are known to cause cancer.” Although scientists have no evidence that they can cause cancer.
But these documents raise as many questions as they answer, says Garrett. “You can worry about chemicals because you’ve seen them written and know how they behave in the lab. But how do all chemicals react in the environment?” , or how all the chemicals will react with each other or in large quantities,” she says. I know it’s needed, not a public-deserved answer.”
In response to a request for comment from Scientific American, A representative from Southern Norfolk pointed to the company’s February 15 statement, as well as statements from state and federal agencies regarding testing and testing of drinking water. home inspection.
To give the public the answers they need, scientists need a better picture of what’s happening on the ground. This means a lot of surveillance, experts say. EPA officials have been on site since the day after the derailment, and the EPA has released air monitoring data. Experts are also testing local well-pumped drinking water and encouraging residents to rely on bottled water until that work is completed.
“The authorities have tested the air outside and reported no concerns, which is good news,” says Beier. But she adds that she needs to stay tested for at least a year. “I think we need to monitor not only air and water, but also indoor air, especially in enclosed spaces around us, for longer,” she says.
It’s not yet clear whether the EPA has surveyed the site for other chemicals of concern, said Nesta Votisham, an environmental toxicologist at the University of Pittsburgh, about 50 miles from the derailment site. These substances include dioxins, a class of pollutants known to accumulate over time in animals and humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to high levels of dioxin can cause people to develop chloracne (an acne-like skin disorder), liver problems, and elevated blood fat levels. It may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
“I think we have a longer list than what is currently being considered, so I recommend broadening the scope and considering more chemicals,” says Bortey-Sam.
Garrett said it was important that an independent group, like the EPA and Norfolk Southern, monitor the situation. She also wants residents to come together and do their own science, mapping where people get headaches or see dead fish, for example. , said it could help give political power to residents after a chemical disaster.
But people living near the crash site may also need help monitoring their health, she added. “It’s a problem. Hospitals are closing. People can’t see doctors like they used to,” Garrett said. “It is definitely important in this region to ensure that everyone has access to healthcare when they become aware of complaints or problems.”
