Ohio train derailment raises concerns

By Adam Sadik •

On Feb. 3, the Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, causing 38 rail cars to go off track and crash near a town of 4,700 inhabitants.

The freight train was carrying dangerous chemicals, including vinyl chloride and ethylene glycol. The chemicals were leaking on the site, and on Feb. 6, the governors of Ohio, Mike DeWine, and of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, gave the order to evacuate the area for anyone within a 1-by-2-mile distance.

“I am very worried for my uncle who lives in the area,” said Matei Popescu, a freshman biology major. “He is an old man and who knows what these chemicals can do to him.”

These chemicals pose a threat to human health as symptoms experienced by the residents in the area where the derailment occurred include vomiting, headache, and rashes.

Vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate are not natural substances. These two chemicals are also considered an extreme threat to the environment.

Patricia Calvo, an NSU professor in organic chemistry with a Ph.D. in organic polymer chemistry from the University of Florida, said these chemicals pose a threat to human and animal health.

“Vinyl chloride is a carcinogen [cancer-causing agent]. Now as a chemist, certain concentrations of these compounds lead to a higher likelihood of developing certain types of cancers in usual animal models. It depends on the concentration that the people are exposed to,” said Calvo.

The colorless vinyl chloride gas is used to make PVC pipes, kitchenware and wire coatings. It is known to increase the risk of liver cancer and leukemia. The gas was released from five train cars and burned to avoid an explosion.

Butyl chloride is a flammable liquid that causes lightheadedness and fainting if exposed to high levels.

According to CBS news, over 43,000 fish and animals have died near the site and counting. Most of these deaths are minnow fish. Animals are dying as far as 20 miles away from the site of the derailment.

“Small animals are going to be exposed to much larger concentrations relative to their body mass. They don’t weigh very much, so their toxic dose, lD50, is significantly lower than in humans. They also metabolize and absorb things very differently. We don’t know how concentrations of these chemicals are in the local water, compared to in the air,” said Calvo.

The extent of the devastation is still unfolding. Many residents are comparing this toxic event to the Russian nuclear power plant explosion in Chernobyl, 1986.

“For Chernobyl, we are talking about radioactive material which is dependent on the half-life of that material and the half-life is thousands of years typically. There really isn’t anything you can do to remediate the radiation from the area,” said Calvo. “Now with chemicals, especially these types of compounds, [they] can react. They can decompose and dissipate.”

Residents near the area are calling for a change in the infrastructure to have more secure and updated train tracks. They plan on suing the Norfolk Southern Railway company.