Chemical irritant polluted air after Ohio train derailment: study

The air in East Palestine, Ohio had high levels of a chemical irritant in the weeks following the February derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon and Texas A&M universities drove through the town in a research van following the derailment, monitoring the air for unusual concentrations of compounds that were not present before the incident.

Attention on potential hazards from the crash largely focused on vinyl chloride, a hazardous substance used in production of plastics, that was spilled in the derailment. But, the team only detected vinyl chloride levels below what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers an unsafe long-term level.

However, the researchers found atmospheric concentrations of acrolein was up six times the normal level near the crash site from Feb. 20-21, nearly two weeks after officials cleared evacuees to safely return home. Acrolein, which was not among the chemicals spilled in the derailment, is an irritant to the eyes, skin and nose that has been linked to increased cancer risk.

Researchers said that while the EPA has also been measuring acrolein levels in the atmosphere, the agency did not pick up the lower levels of the compound linked to long-term risk.

The study’s authors wrote that the results indicate the need for ongoing mobile air quality monitoring at the site of disasters like the East Palestine crash, particularly during the ongoing cleanup  process, which may unearth contaminants in the soil.

“More broadly, this study illustrates that the ability of highly sensitive, nontargeted mobile monitoring to detect known and unknown [volatile organic compounds] can serve as a complement to the targeted and stationary monitoring typically deployed, facilitating characterization of the impacts of disasters on air quality and ultimately better protecting public health,” they wrote.

The Hill has reached out to the EPA for comment.