On Feb. 3, a train carrying hazardous materials derailed near East Palestine, Ohio. Following the crash, some of the chemicals were intentionally burned in a controlled explosion in an effort to manage the release of potential toxins.
Dr. Erin Haynes, Epidemiology and Environmental Health department chair at the UK College of Public Health (CPH) and directs the Center for the Environment at the University of Kentucky is a trained environmental scientist and an expert in this area.
Haynes is seeking opportunities with local and federal agencies to help residents understand the long-term effects of the train derailment.
“It is very important to know if their indoor air is safe to breathe, if [residents] drinking water [is] safe to drink, and if they are experiencing any health effects,” Haynes said in an email to the Herald-Leader. “We also need to know if these exposures impact their health long term. There are so many questions we can help the community answer.”
Haynes adds that after the spill, a chemical called butyl acrylate was detected in several locations downstream from the crash site. While the concentration of this chemical has been highest near the crash, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that the amount in the water is below any damaging levels, and those levels decrease the further down the river you go.
Knowing the impacts of the initial spill is important, Haynes said, but it’s also crucial to understand how the controlled burn may affect the wider region.
“I’ve not seen any data yet on these byproducts, the chemicals that perhaps formed when they were at high temperatures in the fire and how far that spread is,” Haynes said in an interview with Spectrum News. “I want to know, and I think we should know, how far the chemicals went.”
Experts say the air quality is improved, but toxins could linger on the ground and in the water the community consumes and bathes in.
“Now it’s more of what’s in the soil and could be tracked into the home, and then overtime, it’s also going to be the drinking water,” Haynes said.
Kentuckians living near the Ohio River shouldn’t worry too much about their water quality, according to Haynes and officials with Louisville Water.
“It’s dispersing into a much wider Ohio River and the concentrations are becoming low enough to not pose a significant health concern,” Haynes explained.
East Palestine and surrounding communities will remain the most impacted by the disaster. Those in central Kentucky also should not worry, as American Water customers only use the Kentucky River as a water source.
“It is important that community organizations, health departments, federal agencies, and academic institutions work together for the community,” she said to the Lexington Herald Leader.
Haynes encourages those living in the area to take it seriously if they start experiencing any symptoms and call the poison control center and speak with a trained, professional environmental health physician. Symptoms may include skin irritation, asthma exacerbation, rashes on skin, or respiratory issues.
Many people living along the Ohio River are asking if they should be concerned about their drinking water.
“I’ve been asked if residents who live along the Ohio River should be drinking bottled water. I don’t think that’s necessary right now, but if people still have concerns, they should take steps that make them feel more comfortable. If they feel better drinking bottled water for now, then they should do so.”
Haynes has reached out to agencies who are responding and emphasizes working together at this time.
“I’m an Ohio resident; I’m from the Appalachian region. My heart goes out to the people who experienced that trauma and the traumatic experience of surviving a disaster of that nature,” Haynes said. “We must work together, in partnership, with the community and the on-going efforts.”
Haynes recently joined CNN This Morning Weekend and NBCLX to further offer guidance, advice, and expertise on this toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.
Video provided by 'CNN This Morning Weekend: SnapStream Clip
Video provided by NBCLX
Content for this story was used from the “UK environmental health team wants to study long-term effects of OH chemical disaster” (Herald Leader) and “UK team heading to East Palestine to study chemical spill (Spectrum News).
