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How dangerous was the Ohio chemical train derailment? An environmental engineer assesses the long-term risks
The Conversation ^ | February 15, 2023 | Andrew J. Whelton

Posted on 02/18/2023 2:35:43 PM PST by Pelham

The main concerns now are the contamination of homes, soil and water, primarily from volatile organic compounds and semivolatile organic compounds, known as VOCs and SVOCs.

The train had nearly a dozen cars with vinyl chloride and other materials, such as ethylhexyl acrylate and butyl acrylate. These chemicals have varying levels of toxicity and different fates in soil and groundwater. Officials have detected some of those chemicals in the nearby waterway and particulate matter in the air from the fire. But so far, the fate of many of the chemicals is not known. A variety of other materials were also released, but discussion about those chemicals has been limited.

State officials disclosed that a plume of contamination released into the nearby creek had made its way into the Ohio River. Other cities get their drinking water from the river, and were warned about the risk. The farther this plume moves downstream, the less concentrated the chemical will be in water, posing less of a risk.

**

If the heavily contaminated soils and liquids are excavated and removed, the long-term impacts can be reduced. But the longer removal takes, the farther the contamination can spread. It’s in everyone’s best interest to clean this up as soon as possible and before the region gets rain.

Booms in a nearby stream have been deployed to capture chemicals. Air-stripping devices have been deployed to remove chemicals from the waterways. Air stripping causes the light chemicals to leave the water and enter air. This is a common treatment technique and was used after an 2015 oil spill in the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana.

At the derailment site in Ohio, workers are already removing contaminated soil as deep as 7 feet (about 2 meters) near where the rail cars burned.

**

(Excerpt) Read more at theconversation.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: chemical; derailment; eastpalestine; ohio; train; trainderailment
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Headaches and lingering chemical smells from a fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, have left residents worried about their air and water – and misinformation on social media hasn’t helped.

State officials offered more details of the cleanup process and a timeline of the environmental disaster during a news conference on Feb. 14, 2023. Nearly a dozen cars carrying chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a carcinogen, derailed on the evening of Feb. 3, and fire from the site sent up acrid black smoke. Officials said they had tested over 400 nearby homes for contamination and were tracking a plume of spilled chemicals that had killed 3,500 fish in streams and reached the Ohio River.

However, the slow release of information after the derailment has left many questions unanswered about the risks and longer-term impact. We put five questions about the chemical releases to Andrew Whelton, an environmental engineer who investigates chemical risks during disasters.

1 posted on 02/18/2023 2:35:43 PM PST by Pelham
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To: Pelham

Has anyone determined whether state and/or federal regulations were being followed when the tanker contents were torched?


2 posted on 02/18/2023 2:39:26 PM PST by mewzilla (We will never restore the republic if we don't first secure the ballot box.)
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To: mewzilla

Excellent question.


3 posted on 02/18/2023 2:44:38 PM PST by laplata (They want each crisis to take the greatest toll possible.)
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To: Pelham

Yet another useless analysis which doesn’t mention ‘dioxin’ even once.


4 posted on 02/18/2023 2:46:51 PM PST by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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To: Pelham

The EPA says it’s all good unless people start growing extra arms and legs


5 posted on 02/18/2023 2:48:18 PM PST by NWFree (Somebody has to say it 🤪)
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To: Pelham

Three sinks …. Land, Air, Water. Are federal officials telling the truth ? Four means of transport but all are on Land, Air and Water. Residents’ questions and concerns were quickly swept away. Questions and concerns ? I’m no expert as the majority of government employees are not. What to do and who to believe


6 posted on 02/18/2023 2:50:49 PM PST by no-to-illegals (The enemy has US surrounded. May God have mercy on them.)
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To: Pelham

Youngstown and Pittsburgh are in the vicinity and the fires plume was carried away with the prevailing wind. The acute affects locally are quick, chronic take a little longer. Knowing what you know. Would you move there in a couple years and drink the water? Look at Detroit.


7 posted on 02/18/2023 2:58:08 PM PST by Equine1952
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To: mewzilla

They said that they were trying to head off a “BLEVE” explosion that would have been even more dangerous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM0jtD_OWLU


8 posted on 02/18/2023 3:02:23 PM PST by Pelham (Never Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley)
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To: Equine1952

I have a hard time believing that East Palestine will be safe to live near.


9 posted on 02/18/2023 3:04:57 PM PST by Pelham (Never Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley)
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To: Pelham

I do too. Then again there’s Rocky Flats CO, Wallace & Kellogg ID, and Fernald OH , not to mention Savannah River’s dumping tritium in the Savannah River which runs through Atlanta. This ain’t our illustrious government’s first rodeo. But the azzholes did stay at a Holiday Inn.


10 posted on 02/18/2023 3:14:32 PM PST by Equine1952
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To: Pelham
B-but construction workers are all WHITE!


11 posted on 02/18/2023 3:15:36 PM PST by GrandJediMasterYoda (As long as Hillary Clinton remains free, the USA will never have equal justice under the law)
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To: NWFree

Heard the majority of their population voted for Trump.

We are no longer “The Deplorables”.

We are now “The Disposables.”


12 posted on 02/18/2023 3:18:24 PM PST by lizma2
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To: Equine1952

The Savannah River doesn’t run through Atlanta.


13 posted on 02/18/2023 3:19:23 PM PST by ealgeone
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To: NWFree

“The EPA says it’s all good unless people start growing extra arms and legs”

And are darker than a brown paper bag.


14 posted on 02/18/2023 3:29:57 PM PST by beef (Say NO to the WOE (War On Energy))
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To: ealgeone

True. I apologize. The tritium still was released you can look for it if you want.
Regards


15 posted on 02/18/2023 3:34:53 PM PST by Equine1952
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To: ealgeone

Correct.


16 posted on 02/18/2023 3:36:37 PM PST by EMI_Guy ("You have to slow down to go fast." - Kenny Robertson's)
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Maybe this would be a good time to activate buttjuice’s super diverse clean up crews rather than let white guys in hardhats take all the glory


17 posted on 02/18/2023 3:48:21 PM PST by dsrtsage ( Complexity is just simple lacking imagination)
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To: Pelham

Communists always destroy the environment and claim it’s the right. The largest polluter in the world and the most toxic country is communist run.


18 posted on 02/18/2023 3:50:16 PM PST by HYPOCRACY (This is the dystopian future we've been waiting for!)
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To: Pelham

Not this one but the Michigan one shortly after included reports that authorities were drilling holes in the chemical car tanks.

Someone reporting on the news said this “may” have been to relive pressure build up inside.

Thanks a lot, guys, if the fumes come out to mix with neighborhood air for miles around.


19 posted on 02/18/2023 4:30:02 PM PST by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

Cabinet level expert Pete Buttigieg photo:

If I believed in God, which I don’t, I would pray he would save my sorry azz from the hole of crap I’m trudging through. I wish I were competent.


20 posted on 02/18/2023 4:32:35 PM PST by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
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