KY water quality expert talks next steps after ‘unprecedented’ Ohio River chemical spill
Kentucky officials and water companies report they are keeping their eyes on the Ohio River’s water quality after a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, led to chemicals being detected in the river.
A Norfolk Southern train derailed Feb. 3 near the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and several tanker cars ruptured and burned in the incident. The cars primarily released vinyl choride and butyl acrylate, chemicals used in the production of plastics and resins, according to officials. Low levels of butyl acrylate were detected in the Ohio River, traveling from Little Beaver Creek.
Louisville Water officials reported Monday they did not expect the spill to affect drinking water, but will continue to monitor the situation as a cautionary measure.
Director of the University of Louisville’s Superfund Research Center and water quality expert Sanjay Srivastava said while Kentucky has had water quality concerns in the past due to many factors, he hasn’t seen a situation like this is a long time.
“It’s a really exceptional event in many ways,” Srivastava said. “We had an accident in Louisville years ago ... on the railroad cars, their was a spillage. But that was relatively small. But this is really a big exposure, and very unprecedented.”
Srivastava said it’s hard to tell if the derailment will have any long-term effects on Kentucky. Airborne chemicals are usually limited in how far they can travel.
“Exposures maybe probably (a) 30 to 50 mile radius, but you never know, you really don’t know,” Srivastava said. “It’s very hard for complex mixtures, for which we don’t have very much data, and then they can travel to longer distances ... we don’t know.”
As for water quality, detecting chemicals in the water can be difficult, especially with those that do not have a smell or color, he pointed out.
Vinyl chloride is a colorless chemical with a mild sweet flavor, Srivastava said. Occupational exposure to it is associated with the development of hepatic hemangiosarcoma, a rare cancer that forms in the lining of blood and lymph vessels. It can also lead to nerve damage and immunological problems.
Butyl acrylate is also a colorless chemical, but research on possible health effects is sparse, Srivastava said. The chemical can sometimes smell fruity.
It would be best to monitor those who were potentially exposed, Srivastava said, since detecting certain chemicals can sometimes prove to be difficult.
“All these chemicals, you can measure the urine and blood levels and look at how much people have been exposed to,” he noted.
The water expert said the short-term effects to exposure will end in 48 to 72 hours, but potential long-term effects should be monitored.
“People with underlying health problem will be much more vulnerable with this kind of toxicity from these kind of chemicals,” he said.
How far in the future until the effects of the chemical spill aren’t felt?
“It’s hard to say,” Srivastava said.
UK looks to study possibilities
Erin Haynes, chairperson of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University of Kentucky, is building a team 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.
“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 at a Zoom press conference Friday morning.
Both short-term and long-term effects need to be looked at for the best outcomes, she noted.
“Both of them need to be taken care of,” Haynes said. “I highly recommend that everyone in the community who is experiencing a health symptom, that they should immediately call the poison control center.”
Unless more chemicals are released, there shouldn’t be a concern for any danger in the Louisville area, however, she said.
“The concentration is becoming smaller and smaller, it’s dissipating,” Haynes said. “If we’re only looking at this current concentration and its levels getting lower, I do not think that that’s a concern.”
While residents should not be worried about their drinking water, they should do what makes them feel comfortable, she told the media Friday.
“If they feel better about drinking bottled water, then they should do so,” Haynes said.
Kentucky American water say their operations are not impacted because they do not use Ohio River as a water source. You can view their water quality reports online.
Do you have a question about the environment or infrastructure in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
This story was originally published February 17, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
