Chemicals released during the East Palestine train wreck fires in February 2023 in Ohio spread across 16 US states, according to new research analyzing federal precipitation and pollution data.
Widespread Contamination
Rain and snow samples collected from northern Wisconsin to Maine and North Carolina in the weeks following the crash showed the highest levels of pH and certain compounds recorded over the last decade. This includes chloride, primarily released during a controversial controlled burn of highly toxic vinyl chloride carried by the train.
Researchers anticipated finding some evidence of the burn 50 miles from the site, but the extensive range and high contamination levels were “very surprising,” said David Gay, a University of Wisconsin researcher and lead author of the study.
“We saw the chemical signal from this fire at a lot of sites and far away,” Gay said. “There was more than we ever would have guessed.”
The Incident
Dozens of cars on the Norfolk Southern train derailed and burned in the town of 4,700 at the edge of the Appalachian hills. The fire burned near tankers carrying vinyl chloride, and, two days later, fearing a “major explosion,” officials conducted a controlled burn of the chemical as a preventative measure.
In the immediate vicinity and in pockets throughout the city, a potent chemical odor lingered in the air for weeks. The pollution also spread widely because the wreck’s fires burned for so long, and the controlled vinyl chloride burn was extremely hot and concentrated, Gay said. It sent a towering plume into the Earth’s free troposphere, where winds often blow between 50 and 100 mph.
“That can distribute pollution a long way … and it was a nasty little fire with lots of emissions,” Gay said.
Analysis and Findings
Researchers analyzed rain and snow water samples from 260 sites nationwide as part of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. They looked for a range of inorganic compounds because the federal government does not check precipitation samples for organic compounds, like dioxin or PFAS, which were also likely emitted and spread far from the fire’s site.
Chloride, or chlorine, can be a potential health and environmental threat, Gay said, but the levels researchers found “wasn’t melting steel or eating paint off buildings.”
“These concentrations were very extreme for what we usually see,” he added.
Researchers were surprised to find “exceptionally high” pH levels in the rain as far away as northern Maine. Rain with a high enough pH can burn human skin and harm flora and fauna, though Gay said the threat is minimal because it was a short-term spike.
Contributing Factors
Gay theorized that the train’s cargo, which included medical cotton balls, frozen vegetables, and semolina, likely contributed to the high pH because it released large volumes of calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Firefighting foam used at the scene may have also contributed high calcium levels that increased pH levels.
Chloride and pH levels were highest in northern Pennsylvania just east of the wreck, and along the US-Canada border. Although data for Canada was not available, Gay believes that country’s precipitation was also contaminated.
No precipitation or measured rain was recorded in some regions to the south and west of the wreck in Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia, but Gay said it is almost certain the pollution settled in those regions as well, but in the air instead of in rain or snow.
Environmental Impact
A low-pressure system that moved over the region during the burn pushed the pollution across Michigan and into Wisconsin. All the Great Lakes except Lake Superior were likely affected, Gay said.
The levels remained elevated for the first two weeks following the fire before significantly dropping in the third week.
“That’s further evidence that it’s from the train wreck,” Gay said. Though the impact of organic compounds is unclear, the inorganic findings suggest “a little shock to the system, but the system should be fine,” he added.
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