NEARLY TWO WEEKS ago, a train carrying loads of toxic chemicals derailed near East Palastine, Ohio.
Details continue to surface since the February 3rd crash, which derailed nearly 38 train cars and sparked a massive fire. The Norfolk Southern-operated train was carrying everything from frozen vegetables to malt liquor, according to an inventory manifest released by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The train was also carrying 20 hazardous chemicals, 11 of which were involved in the crash and fire. Local authorities then issued an evacuation notice, advising all residents who lived within a one by two mile square of the crash to leave their homes. The National Transportation Safety Board released a statement yesterday saying an overheated wheel bearing is presumed to be the cause of the crash. The long- and short-term health effects are still being determined, but here’s what experts told us now:
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What Chemicals Spilled?
Out of the 11 dangerous chemicals spilled in the crash, the one of most concern is vinyl chloride.
Vinyl chloride is a flammable gas that is colorless. It is often used to make polyvinyl chloride, otherwise known as PVC piping. PVC is commonly used in drainage and plumbing lines, electricity systems, and ductwork for heating and cooling systems. Vinyl chloride, in its original form, is considered a carcinogen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning it has the potential to cause cancer.
Whole stores of chemicals were lost in the spill and in the fire. The damaged tankers of vinyl chloride, among other chemicals, were at risk of detonating. Authorities performed a controlled release of the substances, meaning they slowly released the remains into the atmosphere.
The issue, experts say, is the fact that chemical reactions occurred in the fire. The chemical makeup of the mix changes a lot when it burns, and “it adds a bunch of new chemicals that may be even more toxic to the mix,” says Peter DeCarlo, P.h.D., professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Scientists and environmental authorities are not quite sure what new chemicals were created by the fire, and there’s concern that they may be more hazardous than they would have been individually, without being part of this mix.
“The product of combustion when you’re burning something like vinyl chloride can be a chemical warfare agent known as phosgene,” he says. “That’s absolutely something to avoid.”
How Can The Chemicals Enter Our Systems?
Chemicals can get into the body in a number of ways. The ones involved in the spill travel are known to through air. The smoke from the fire that resulted from the crash was seen for miles, and lasted for days. Wind can carry that toxic air a very long distance.
It only takes about two weeks for air travel around the globe in the mid-latitude area that Ohio is situated in, says DeCarlo. And while contaminated smoke gets more and more diluted as it travels, the chemicals are still present. So the areas downwind from East Palastine may be a cause for concern. Air quality, so far, has only really been tested in East Palastine.
“If you’re making measurements of air before it passes over the accident site, you really don’t have a good idea if there are still emissions from the accident site itself,” says DeCarlo. “And so, fundamentally, without measurements at the accident site and downwind of the accident site, I wouldn’t be able to say for certain that there are no emissions.”
Wind can always change direction, which makes air sampling even more complicated. The main way chemical particles eventually fall to the ground is by way of rain. The particles then make their way into our waterways, which we can easily ingest.
“The chemicals that were released in the train derailment can enter groundwater and eventually contaminate the drinking water,” says Andrea Dietrich, P.h.D., professor of environmental and water resources engineering at Virginia Tech. “If residents use contaminated water, they will be exposed to chemicals through drinking, inhalation (from showering and other uses that volatilize water), and dermal contact.”
The percolation of the chemical through the soil and into the groundwater could take days to weeks to months, says Dietrich. According to a report released by Governor Mike DeWine’s office on February 15th, water in all the wells of East Palastine’s water supply were tested and deemed safe.
“What the Governor’s office did not report is exactly which contaminants were monitored for in the water, or the detection limit of the monitoring methods,” says Dietrich. The detection limit of the method utilized should be below the level that causes human harm, to ensure safe and proper testing.
Dietrich says residents should also be concerned with the length of monitoring. Since chemicals could filter into the water for a long period of time, levels could rise in the future. As of now, there is no indication as to how long water monitoring will last.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has reported finding nearly 43,000 aquatic wildlife dead after the spill.
What Health Effects Can These Chemicals Cause?
“In the short term, exposure to these chemicals can cause respiratory tract, digestive tract, skin, and eye irritation; they may even allergic skin reactions. In the long term, cancer may result,” says Dietrich.
The seriousness of these health concerns depends on the length and severity of exposure, says Robert Laumbach, M.D., P.h.D, associate professor at Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences institute.
“It’s sort of like an equation. The concentration in the air, which is like the intensity of the exposure, times the duration,” he says. The way this equation affects different people is also dependent on the health of the person themselves. More vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly, may feel effects faster and more critically.
It’s difficult to generalize with a situation like this, Laumbach says, because again, scientists aren’t completely sure what chemical mixture is the air and water. Plus, it’s difficult to estimate exposure severity after the fact.
Is There Any Way To Prevent Chemical-Related Health Problems?
Since the chemicals travel by air, it is possible for them to enter into resident homes. Generally, these chemicals don’t stick around for long, as they don’t deposit on surfaces, says DeCarlo. But, some compounds that could have potentially come from the combustion of the fire could last a bit longer on surfaces and in air.
“If it were me, I would probably try to clean all the all the surfaces in my home,” says DeCarlo. After confirming that no more emissions are flowing from the crash site, he says he would open windows to vent out potentially contaminated air.
Managing water contamination is a little more difficult. Water is just about everywhere in your home. We drink water, breathe its vapors, and have skin contact with water when bathing. It takes sophisticated systems to test for these chemicals in water— systems that are not available for at-home use.
“Since drinking water is ingested, inhaled, and contacts the human body during typical home use, people are exposed by all three routes,” says Dietrich.
The bit of good news when it comes to water contamination is that many of these chemicals can cause an off taste, odor, and appearance. While not all chemicals cause this, all the chemicals involved in the train crash are known to at least have an odor, Dietrich says. Residents should look for these oddities in their water.
Boiling water, though commonly associated with cleaning water, is not useful in a situation like this. It will move the potentially dangerous chemicals into the air, where people with then breathe them.
There are options, though. “Most home filtration systems, and also filtration pitchers, have a combination of activated carbon and resins that can remove organic contaminants. These should be effective at removing the chemicals released during the derailment, says Dietrich.
The evacuation order that was issued to a small radius of residents around the crash was lifted only two days after its issuing. Cases of sore throats, rashes, nausea and headaches are being reported in the area. A clinic has recently been opened by the Ohio Department of Health to deal with these issues.
“If I lived there, I don’t know if I’d be back yet,” says DeCarlo.
Cori Ritchey, NASM-CPT is an Associate Health & Fitness Editor at Men’s Health and a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. You can find more of her work in HealthCentral, Livestrong, Self, and others.
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