Health fears in Ohio after toxic rail spill
A month after US disaster, harmful chemicals pervade air and soil
The train derailment in the US state of Ohio last month released dozens of chemicals, and nine of them are in a higher concentration than would normally be found in the area, scientists said.
On Feb 3, 38 cars of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, in northeast Ohio near Pennsylvania, and several of the train’s cars carrying hazardous materials burned.
Though no one was injured, nearby neighborhoods in both states were imperiled. The crash prompted an evacuation of about half the town’s 5,000 residents, a multi-governmental emergency response and lingering worries among villagers of long-term health impacts.
Scientists of Texas A&M University and Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania said on March 3 that if the levels of some of the chemicals remain high, they could pose challenges to residents’ health in the long term.
The analysis has found that the highest levels were of acrolein, a herbicide used to control plants, algae, rodents and microorganisms.
It is a toxic chemical that can cause inflammation and irritation of the skin, respiratory tract and mucous membranes, the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention said.
While acrolein was not on the list of chemicals carried on the derailed train cars, it can be created during the combustion of fuels, wood and plastics, the International Agency for Research on Cancer said.
The scientists found that values of benzene, toluene, xylenes and vinyl chloride were below the minimal risk levels for intermediate exposures as set by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The team said no “hot spots” were found in their mobile sampling and that the analysis corroborates data collected by the federal Environmental Protection Agency between Feb 8 and 22.
Some in East Palestine say they continue to experience symptoms such as headaches, vomiting, dizziness and persistent coughs.
On March 2, angry residents confronted the railroad’s operator at a town forum, demanding to know whether they would be relocated from homes they are afraid to live in.
“It’s not safe here,” said one man, staring straight at representatives of Norfolk Southern Corp. “I’m begging you, by the grace of God, please get our people out of here.”
While the railroad authorities announced they were ready to begin moving more contaminated soil from underneath the tracks, buying homes and moving people out of the affected area has not been discussed, said Darrell
Wilson, the railroad’s assistant vice-president of government relations.
“Why?” someone shouted.
Few seemed to come away satisfied with the answers they heard about air and water testing from state and federal officials.
The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, ordered the rail operator Norfolk Southern to begin testing for dioxins. Testing so far by the EPA for “indicator chemicals” has suggested there is a low chance that dioxins were released from the derailment, the agency said. Dioxins are toxic chemical compounds that can stay in the environment for long
periods of time.
Residents near the burn could have been exposed to dioxins in the air that landed on their skin or were breathed into their lungs, said Frederick Guengerich, a toxicologist at Vanderbilt University.
Skin exposure to high concentrations can cause what is known as chloracne — an intense skin inflammation, Guengerich said.
Many people remain scared about whether the area will be safe for their children years from now, saying they fear that dioxins not yet detected will cause long-term damage.
Residents booed and yelled, “Don’t lie to us,” when Debra Shore, a
regional administrator with the EPA, reiterated that tests have continually shown that the village’s air is safe.
Activist Erin Brockovich on March 2 launched a blistering critique of the handling of the toxic train derailment in Ohio, branding it a “classic cover-up” of an environmental disaster.
The incident, which occurred on the night of Feb 3, involved 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited, fueling fires that damaged an additional 12 non-derailed railcars.