UK environmental health team wants to study long-term effects of OH chemical disaster
The University of Kentucky is looking to pilot a research study about the long-term effects of the East Palestine, Ohio, chemical disaster.
Officials are monitoring the area and the Ohio River after the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train along the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Several tanker cars ruptured and burned in the incident and released vinyl choride and butyl acrylate, emergency officials have said. Those chemicals are used in the production of plastics and resins.
Residents of East Palestine were told to evacuate, and while the order was lifted last week, some remain away from their homes, concerned about safety.
A statement released Tuesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stated, “air monitoring has not detected any levels of health concern in the community that are attributed to the train derailment.”
Low levels of butyl acrylate were detected in the Ohio River, traveling from Little Beaver Creek. The river is a water source for millions.
Erin Haynes, chairperson of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at UK, is building a team seeking opportunities for collaboration to begin a study on the long-term effects of the toxic disaster. Possible partners include academic institutions and local and federal agencies, she said in an email to the Herald-Leader.
“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 research questions we can help the community answer.”
Haynes said the university will utilize several funding sources, including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
“It is important that community organizations, health departments, federal agencies, and academic institutions work together for the community,” she said.
Haynes said she has community research collaborations locally who are discussing possible research, and she has reached out to agencies who are responding to the disaster to work together.
The researcher answered media questions over Zoom Friday morning and provided more details about the study and her insight on the ramifications of the Feb. 3 chemical spill.
“We are still looking at … what exposures are out there, what the current concerns are, and then what data can we add in partnership with local and federal agencies to help have a more robust look at their exposure and their health outcomes,” Haynes said.
The team wants to launch a health survey to collect information on where residents live, what symptoms they have and other questions about their experience following the chemical spill.
Haynes said they are currently researching what equipment can be used in the study for a more in-depth look into the atmosphere, including the air and soil.
“My heart goes out to the people who experienced that trauma and the, you know, the traumatic experience of surviving a disaster of that nature,” Haynes said.
She encouraged those living in the area to take it seriously if they start experiencing symptoms and call the poison control center.
Kentucky officials and water companies released several statements following the derailment, saying they would continue to monitor water quality after chemical detections in the Ohio River.
Kentucky American Water does not use the Ohio River as a source, but Louisville Water does, and the company said it did not expect the incident to pose a threat to the safety of its drinking water.
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This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 2:43 PM.
