Authors:

Stefanie Surdyka

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

The February 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio released large amounts of chemicals into the environment. Chemicals entered at least five states, killed tens of thousands of fish and prompted numerous illness reports from the population and workers. Illnesses continued to be reported by workers and residents after the evacuation order was lifted. To better understand chemical exposures, we applied USEPA EPI Suite software alongside the CompTox Chemicals Dashboard and compared results to field observations. The fate of 7 volatile organic compounds (VOC) released from the derailment in the environment (air, water, sediment) was examined. The models considered 3 factors; water depth, current velocity, and wind velocity. Results indicate that depending on the chemical, 6.19% to 32.7% was present in the air, while 66.6% to 90.5% of the chemical was primarily present in the water. Mechanical aerators and diffusers were installed in heavily contaminated creeks, therefore the mass of the given chemical emitted into the air is likely greater than estimated by the model. Additionally, it was found that chemical levels inside concrete stormwater culverts likely allowed for contaminant accumulation in air beneath homes. As these contaminants entered through the open drain pipes in the culverts, the indoor air of the building was contaminated. The half-life of the chemicals ranged from 0.05348 to 47.51 hours and was dependent upon the three factors that were altered by the user. The State of Ohio claims that chemical concentration decreases in creeks were due to biodegradation caused by aeration, which was not supported by USEPA's software outputs. Evidence suggests chemicals were removed from the creeks through transfer into the air. These calculations, along with further research and sampling can lead to a more accurate determination of the chemical fate, which in turn, can help with the future development of more effective disaster relief strategies.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Stefanie Surdyka