On Feb. 3, 2023, a train carrying chemicals jumped the tracks in East Palestine, Ohio, rupturing railcars filled with hazardous materials and fueling chemical fires at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The disaster drew global attention as the governors of Ohio and Pennsylvania urged evacuations for a mile around the site.
Flames and smoke billowed from burning chemicals, and an acrid odor radiated from the derailment area as chemicals entered the air and spilled into a nearby creek. Three days later, at the urging of the rail company , Norfolk Southern, about 1 million pounds of vinyl chloride , a chemical that can be toxic to humans at high doses, was released from the damaged train cars and set aflame. Federal investigators later concluded that the open burn and the black mushroom cloud it produced were unnecessary , but it was too late.
Railcar chemicals spread into Ohio and Pennsylvania . As an environmental engineers , I and my colleagues are often asked to assist with public health decisions after disasters by government agencies and communities. After the evacuation order was lifted, community members asked for help.
In a new study , we describe the contamination we found, along with problems with the response and cleanup that, in some cases, increased the chances that people would be exposed to hazardous chemicals. It offers important lessons to better protect communities in the future. How chemicals get into homes and water When large amounts of chemicals .