By — Bella Isaacs-Thomas Bella Isaacs-Thomas Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/why-tracking-these-pollution-indicators-is-key-after-the-east-palestine-train-derailment Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Why tracking these pollution indicators is key after the East Palestine train derailment Nation Updated on Apr 19, 2023 4:10 PM EDT — Published on Apr 18, 2023 6:12 PM EDT Two months after the derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals, state and federal agencies are monitoring air, water and soil samples in and around East Palestine, Ohio, for signs of pollution. So how long will those steps be necessary to ensure the safety of the community? Outside experts say it’s crucial to continue those efforts — and to track and support public health — for the long-term. Officials have already and consistently assured residents that the local air and water are safe based on monitoring data, but that hasn’t necessarily assuaged community members’ concerns over the potential health and environmental ramifications. Some environmental health experts argue that the response to the derailment could have been better coordinated and communicated to the affected community. There are also questions about best practices when it comes to monitoring public health after comparable events. READ MORE: ‘We don’t feel safe anymore.’ Trauma, health concerns remain after Ohio derailment In East Palestine, in addition to collecting environmental data, crews are working to remove contaminated soil and wastewater from the site, which will be disposed of elsewhere. The local water treatment facility plans to install carbon filters as a precautionary measure that would remove chemical contaminants should they emerge in the future. Researchers are also assessing fish from local rivers and plants from nearby farms for potential contamination related to the derailment. The state of Ohio has conducted necropsies on several animals that died recently, including a chicken and a dog, and found that chemical toxicity was not a cause of death. Here’s what we know about the effects of the derailment so far, the types of long-term data collection that some environmental health experts are advocating for and what this disaster can teach us about comparable ones in the future. What are the public health risks of the East Palestine train derailment? The hazardous chemicals released as a result of the derailment are associated with a range of negative human health outcomes. But like everything else, the poison is in the dose, said Maureen Lichtveld, dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. The specific substance a person was exposed to, plus the amount of that substance and the duration of the exposure, are all key factors for any potential health implications. Different phases of the incident involved different safety threats. In the immediate aftermath of the derailment, chemicals on board caught fire and made their way into the local air, water and soil, said Michael Bisesi, an environmental and occupational health scientist at The Ohio State University College of Public Health. A few days later, following a mandatory evacuation that warned residents of the potential for toxic gas release, responders conducted a controlled burn to avoid a potentially disastrous explosion involving vinyl chloride, a particularly volatile chemical aboard the train. Residents were told they could return home after that controlled burn was completed, and officials told them that monitoring data suggested the air was safe to breathe. From Bisesi’s perspective, air and water quality monitoring efforts started out somewhat limited but became more comprehensive over time, in terms of the range of samples collected and the scope of chemicals analyzed. But he noted that today, officials are monitoring ground, surface and drinking water, plus sediment, outdoor air and soil, as they continue cleanup efforts at the site. East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway speaks during a town hall held by the EPA in East Palestine, Ohio, on March 2, 2023. Photo by Alan Freed/Reuters “They removed the railcars, they stopped the leaks. There’s no more combustion. They’re excavating the soil,” Bisesi said. “So in theory, every day that they’re excavating sediment and soil out and transporting it off-site, they’re bringing it back to where it was at the beginning — the pre-accident conditions.” It’s possible that residents would detect an odor in the air as a result of soil and sediment being stirred up by the excavation, he added. But Bisesi said that’s because the chemicals involved “have very low odor thresholds,” meaning they’re easy to smell at low concentrations that are still below the point at which they become toxic for people. Bisesi is cautiously optimistic that, based on the data he’s seen so far, the long-term outcomes in East Palestine will be “favorable” for the community. But he’s in favor of “indefinite” monitoring of surface water, groundwater, soil and sediment, particularly in the areas closest to the derailment site. It may be reasonable to discontinue air quality monitoring once the excavation process ends, he said. READ MORE: Analysis: Did dangerous substances spread after the Ohio train derailment? Dioxins, which are highly hazardous pollutants that form as byproducts during fires like the one involving vinyl chloride that followed the derailment, are also a concern for Bisesi. But he’s not seen any government data thus far indicating that they’ve been detected at levels of concern, and he noted that analysts are currently evaluating soil samples downwind of the site for the pollutants. “I don’t think anybody is in a position right now to say with certainty that there’s going to be long-term adverse impacts to the people or the place. There’s no data at this point either suggesting that or indicating that,” Bisesi said, adding that a robust sampling and analysis plan moving forward will be key to the ongoing disaster response. In the weeks following the derailment, the Ohio Department of Health invited residents and first responders who worked at the derailment site to self-report any symptoms they experienced following the incident in “after chemical exposure” or ACE surveys. That effort wrapped up on March 31, and the data collected could be used to inform future surveys or action from the agency. Around 25 percent of the 212 first responders surveyed reported a stuffy or runny nose. About 20 percent said they had increased congestion or a burning nose or throat, while 15 percent reported hoarseness. More than 500 residents — out of a total population of nearly 5,000 as of the 2020 Census, which equates to around 11 percent — self-reported their symptoms to the state. Three-quarters said they experienced headaches, and around half said they experienced fatigue, coughing or discomfort in their eyes. Notably, anxiety was the second-most reported symptom, with just over 61 percent of surveyed residents saying they were experiencing it. READ MORE: U.S. sues Norfolk Southern for environmental damage from derailment The state of Ohio has received federal funding to support mental health services in East Palestine in an effort to manage the traumatic impact of the derailment, a move that Bisesi said was “extremely appropriate.” He noted that that type of funding wasn’t available following similar disasters in the past, but that swiftly involving the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in East Palestine is a crucial part of “the broader clinical response” — both physical and psychological — following the disaster. In April, the state also opened a permanent clinic that will connect residents with health care professionals and offer a range of services as needed, including lab testing and specialist consultations, according to the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Officials also started a community support meeting and stress management group aimed at helping residents “process stress and anxiety, develop health coping mechanisms” and “rebuild community bonds,” the agency said in a statement. Why experts recommend public health monitoring, too James Fabisiak, associate professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, and Lichtveld are hoping to garner funding for a monitoring plan that will help determine whether residents are exposed to low levels of chemicals involved in the derailment — like vinyl chloride — over time. “What’s really missing… is a comprehensive approach to looking at the long-term effects, both physiological and mental, of low-level exposures to a chemical mixture,” Lichtveld said. She added that any approach to long-term monitoring, such as indoor air quality sampling, would have to involve and center community members first and foremost. FILE PHOTO: General view of the site of the derailment of a train carrying hazardous waste, in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., March 2, 2023. File photo by Alan Freed/Reuters When it comes to tracking public health, the two also advocate for a surveillance effort that both tracks self-reported symptoms and utilizes the expertise of physicians — who can examine a rash or order blood tests to look for specific indicators — so that objective health data can help assess a person’s experience alongside what’s going on inside their body, Fabisiak said. Fabisiak and Lichtveld want to start regularly collecting specimens from residents and analyzing them over time for any potential notable changes. They’re particularly interested in tracking liver function, given that vinyl chloride is known to be carcinogenic to the liver, with an emphasis on people who are already at risk for liver issues due to existing health conditions. Keeping tabs on that function would help health providers intervene early on if indicators point to liver damage, they said. “We’re certainly at a point now where concerns will need to be ‘What are the issues with chronic low-dose exposure going forward?’ And hopefully there are not any issues with that, but we won’t know that until we actually begin work over the long haul,” Fabisiak said. What can we learn from the derailment in East Palestine? After a disaster like the derailment in East Palestine, a swift biomonitoring response is essential to assessing any potential chemical exposure among the people who were affected, said Glenn Talaska, professor emeritus at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. Talaska offered his professional take on what a robust public health response in the community should look like to Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance. He said he thinks in the aftermath of a disaster, a coordinated effort to get “a better handle on exposure” among residents is key. “It’s a relatively easy process of just collecting a urine sample from individuals who you may be evacuating, getting a sample from them so that we could assess – with whatever biomarkers are going to be available and appropriate – what the exposures were,” Talaska said. READ MORE: Ohio senators to promote new rail safety bill after derailment Unlike blood samples, which must be collected by a professional, any emergency responder could be trained to get urine samples from evacuees. Urine is also where the detectable compounds following an exposure generally end up. It can take a few hours for those metabolites to show up, but collecting a first sample as quickly as possible — plus following up as needed — can help inform any future health interventions. Immediate biomonitoring after disasters like the East Palestine train derailment would both help fill in gaps in exposure assessments in subsequent epidemiological studies, Talaska said. CNN reported in late March that the Ohio Department of Health was poised to offer blood and urine testing to first responders who worked at the derailment site. The lingering uncertainty in the absence of that type of data collection — particularly when residents hear that the chemical spill in their backyard involved “carcinogens” — exacerbates fear and anxiety about their long-term future, he added. But quick-turnaround biomonitoring wasn’t pursued in East Palestine or, generally, during the myriad similar crises that have come before or after it. That’s because it’s not mandatory for officials to incorporate tools that can help assess exposure early on – like urine sampling – as part of their standard practice in the aftermath of disasters like the one in East Palestine, Talaska said. That’s a problem, in his view, given that the incident in East Palestine is not an isolated event. “It will happen again. We will have some sort of chemical exposure from this or that or the other thing that we have to deal with as a nation,” he said. “And I think the key takeaway is that we’re not quite ready.” By — Bella Isaacs-Thomas Bella Isaacs-Thomas Bella Isaacs-Thomas is a digital reporter on the PBS NewsHour's science desk. @bella_is_
Two months after the derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals, state and federal agencies are monitoring air, water and soil samples in and around East Palestine, Ohio, for signs of pollution. So how long will those steps be necessary to ensure the safety of the community? Outside experts say it’s crucial to continue those efforts — and to track and support public health — for the long-term. Officials have already and consistently assured residents that the local air and water are safe based on monitoring data, but that hasn’t necessarily assuaged community members’ concerns over the potential health and environmental ramifications. Some environmental health experts argue that the response to the derailment could have been better coordinated and communicated to the affected community. There are also questions about best practices when it comes to monitoring public health after comparable events. READ MORE: ‘We don’t feel safe anymore.’ Trauma, health concerns remain after Ohio derailment In East Palestine, in addition to collecting environmental data, crews are working to remove contaminated soil and wastewater from the site, which will be disposed of elsewhere. The local water treatment facility plans to install carbon filters as a precautionary measure that would remove chemical contaminants should they emerge in the future. Researchers are also assessing fish from local rivers and plants from nearby farms for potential contamination related to the derailment. The state of Ohio has conducted necropsies on several animals that died recently, including a chicken and a dog, and found that chemical toxicity was not a cause of death. Here’s what we know about the effects of the derailment so far, the types of long-term data collection that some environmental health experts are advocating for and what this disaster can teach us about comparable ones in the future. What are the public health risks of the East Palestine train derailment? The hazardous chemicals released as a result of the derailment are associated with a range of negative human health outcomes. But like everything else, the poison is in the dose, said Maureen Lichtveld, dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. The specific substance a person was exposed to, plus the amount of that substance and the duration of the exposure, are all key factors for any potential health implications. Different phases of the incident involved different safety threats. In the immediate aftermath of the derailment, chemicals on board caught fire and made their way into the local air, water and soil, said Michael Bisesi, an environmental and occupational health scientist at The Ohio State University College of Public Health. A few days later, following a mandatory evacuation that warned residents of the potential for toxic gas release, responders conducted a controlled burn to avoid a potentially disastrous explosion involving vinyl chloride, a particularly volatile chemical aboard the train. Residents were told they could return home after that controlled burn was completed, and officials told them that monitoring data suggested the air was safe to breathe. From Bisesi’s perspective, air and water quality monitoring efforts started out somewhat limited but became more comprehensive over time, in terms of the range of samples collected and the scope of chemicals analyzed. But he noted that today, officials are monitoring ground, surface and drinking water, plus sediment, outdoor air and soil, as they continue cleanup efforts at the site. East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway speaks during a town hall held by the EPA in East Palestine, Ohio, on March 2, 2023. Photo by Alan Freed/Reuters “They removed the railcars, they stopped the leaks. There’s no more combustion. They’re excavating the soil,” Bisesi said. “So in theory, every day that they’re excavating sediment and soil out and transporting it off-site, they’re bringing it back to where it was at the beginning — the pre-accident conditions.” It’s possible that residents would detect an odor in the air as a result of soil and sediment being stirred up by the excavation, he added. But Bisesi said that’s because the chemicals involved “have very low odor thresholds,” meaning they’re easy to smell at low concentrations that are still below the point at which they become toxic for people. Bisesi is cautiously optimistic that, based on the data he’s seen so far, the long-term outcomes in East Palestine will be “favorable” for the community. But he’s in favor of “indefinite” monitoring of surface water, groundwater, soil and sediment, particularly in the areas closest to the derailment site. It may be reasonable to discontinue air quality monitoring once the excavation process ends, he said. READ MORE: Analysis: Did dangerous substances spread after the Ohio train derailment? Dioxins, which are highly hazardous pollutants that form as byproducts during fires like the one involving vinyl chloride that followed the derailment, are also a concern for Bisesi. But he’s not seen any government data thus far indicating that they’ve been detected at levels of concern, and he noted that analysts are currently evaluating soil samples downwind of the site for the pollutants. “I don’t think anybody is in a position right now to say with certainty that there’s going to be long-term adverse impacts to the people or the place. There’s no data at this point either suggesting that or indicating that,” Bisesi said, adding that a robust sampling and analysis plan moving forward will be key to the ongoing disaster response. In the weeks following the derailment, the Ohio Department of Health invited residents and first responders who worked at the derailment site to self-report any symptoms they experienced following the incident in “after chemical exposure” or ACE surveys. That effort wrapped up on March 31, and the data collected could be used to inform future surveys or action from the agency. Around 25 percent of the 212 first responders surveyed reported a stuffy or runny nose. About 20 percent said they had increased congestion or a burning nose or throat, while 15 percent reported hoarseness. More than 500 residents — out of a total population of nearly 5,000 as of the 2020 Census, which equates to around 11 percent — self-reported their symptoms to the state. Three-quarters said they experienced headaches, and around half said they experienced fatigue, coughing or discomfort in their eyes. Notably, anxiety was the second-most reported symptom, with just over 61 percent of surveyed residents saying they were experiencing it. READ MORE: U.S. sues Norfolk Southern for environmental damage from derailment The state of Ohio has received federal funding to support mental health services in East Palestine in an effort to manage the traumatic impact of the derailment, a move that Bisesi said was “extremely appropriate.” He noted that that type of funding wasn’t available following similar disasters in the past, but that swiftly involving the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in East Palestine is a crucial part of “the broader clinical response” — both physical and psychological — following the disaster. In April, the state also opened a permanent clinic that will connect residents with health care professionals and offer a range of services as needed, including lab testing and specialist consultations, according to the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Officials also started a community support meeting and stress management group aimed at helping residents “process stress and anxiety, develop health coping mechanisms” and “rebuild community bonds,” the agency said in a statement. Why experts recommend public health monitoring, too James Fabisiak, associate professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, and Lichtveld are hoping to garner funding for a monitoring plan that will help determine whether residents are exposed to low levels of chemicals involved in the derailment — like vinyl chloride — over time. “What’s really missing… is a comprehensive approach to looking at the long-term effects, both physiological and mental, of low-level exposures to a chemical mixture,” Lichtveld said. She added that any approach to long-term monitoring, such as indoor air quality sampling, would have to involve and center community members first and foremost. FILE PHOTO: General view of the site of the derailment of a train carrying hazardous waste, in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., March 2, 2023. File photo by Alan Freed/Reuters When it comes to tracking public health, the two also advocate for a surveillance effort that both tracks self-reported symptoms and utilizes the expertise of physicians — who can examine a rash or order blood tests to look for specific indicators — so that objective health data can help assess a person’s experience alongside what’s going on inside their body, Fabisiak said. Fabisiak and Lichtveld want to start regularly collecting specimens from residents and analyzing them over time for any potential notable changes. They’re particularly interested in tracking liver function, given that vinyl chloride is known to be carcinogenic to the liver, with an emphasis on people who are already at risk for liver issues due to existing health conditions. Keeping tabs on that function would help health providers intervene early on if indicators point to liver damage, they said. “We’re certainly at a point now where concerns will need to be ‘What are the issues with chronic low-dose exposure going forward?’ And hopefully there are not any issues with that, but we won’t know that until we actually begin work over the long haul,” Fabisiak said. What can we learn from the derailment in East Palestine? After a disaster like the derailment in East Palestine, a swift biomonitoring response is essential to assessing any potential chemical exposure among the people who were affected, said Glenn Talaska, professor emeritus at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. Talaska offered his professional take on what a robust public health response in the community should look like to Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance. He said he thinks in the aftermath of a disaster, a coordinated effort to get “a better handle on exposure” among residents is key. “It’s a relatively easy process of just collecting a urine sample from individuals who you may be evacuating, getting a sample from them so that we could assess – with whatever biomarkers are going to be available and appropriate – what the exposures were,” Talaska said. READ MORE: Ohio senators to promote new rail safety bill after derailment Unlike blood samples, which must be collected by a professional, any emergency responder could be trained to get urine samples from evacuees. Urine is also where the detectable compounds following an exposure generally end up. It can take a few hours for those metabolites to show up, but collecting a first sample as quickly as possible — plus following up as needed — can help inform any future health interventions. Immediate biomonitoring after disasters like the East Palestine train derailment would both help fill in gaps in exposure assessments in subsequent epidemiological studies, Talaska said. CNN reported in late March that the Ohio Department of Health was poised to offer blood and urine testing to first responders who worked at the derailment site. The lingering uncertainty in the absence of that type of data collection — particularly when residents hear that the chemical spill in their backyard involved “carcinogens” — exacerbates fear and anxiety about their long-term future, he added. But quick-turnaround biomonitoring wasn’t pursued in East Palestine or, generally, during the myriad similar crises that have come before or after it. That’s because it’s not mandatory for officials to incorporate tools that can help assess exposure early on – like urine sampling – as part of their standard practice in the aftermath of disasters like the one in East Palestine, Talaska said. That’s a problem, in his view, given that the incident in East Palestine is not an isolated event. “It will happen again. We will have some sort of chemical exposure from this or that or the other thing that we have to deal with as a nation,” he said. “And I think the key takeaway is that we’re not quite ready.”