Showing the Way, Chemical Spill from Train Derailment, Exposure Analysis by GIS, East Palestine, Ohio, USA

Introduction: On February 3, 2023, a freight train containing 149 train cars operated by Norfolk Southern Railway derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Eleven of the derailed cars contained hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene, n-butyl acrylate, and benzene residue. The Ohio Regional Poison Control Centers received calls from the community and health care providers affected by this incident. On February 6, railroad officials decided to perform a controlled burn with the train cars carrying 115,580 gallons of vinyl chloride due to the rising temperatures, which posed an explosion hazard. Methods: Retrospective case narrative reviews were performed on the phone calls received from the affected community to the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC). The cases started in February 2023 and ended in October 2024. Data included the caller location and clinical effects/symptoms from the initial chemical spill, and the controlled burn was entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS). Results: 179 cases were reviewed, with the most common clinical effects/symptoms. The cases were included based on their distance from the derailment, 20 miles radius. Conclusion: Understanding the health effects of chemical spills in a technological disaster will inform the creation of emergency and disaster management protocols for hospitals and first responders.