CLEVELAND — Even though state and federal officials have given the all clear for residents to return to their homes in East Palestine following last weekend's train accident, many are still apprehensive.
I reached out to Dr. Ryan Marino, a medical toxicologist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, to ask for his insights into whether there's still risk after the controlled release of vinyl chloride into the air.
Are residents' fears justified?
"Concern is justified but I see no indication to doubt the information coming from authorities involved in the response.
"While vinyl chloride can have concerning effects on human health, this kind of single exposure (followed by dissipation and appropriate cleanup) is unlikely to have detrimental health effects on local citizens both short and long term.
"The risk of toxicity is greatest in long-term repeated exposures that would not be expected in this case.
"The biggest immediate risk of vinyl chloride is its flammability, and once destroyed even the breakdown products of concern (hydrochloric acid and phosgene) are further degraded and diluted very rapidly."
Should they be aware of possible symptoms developing?
"Breathing problems and burns to exposed areas of skin and mucous membranes are most likely to be the most common symptoms of concerning exposure although I would not expect much risk of that this far out and given the completeness of the reported cleanup response."
The cloud dissipated, but particles spread elsewhere, do residents outside of the area need to be concerned?
"If people do not have medical symptoms (particularly trouble breathing) then it is unlikely to cause them problems.
"Ideally we would not want any exposure, however, vinyl chloride exists in nature and is already ubiquitous in our environment in small quantities.
"In this case, the dilution of the chemical spill is actually a benefit as it reduces the level of exposure and will be more easily broken down."
Any other advice to residents?
"As someone who specializes in toxic chemicals and effects of the human body, I have been impressed by the response to this accident in its rapidity, cautiousness, and completeness.
"It is far easier however to prevent these kind of incidents than it is to clean them up after they happen. I hope that any systems or regulatory failures that led to this happening - and putting local citizens at risk - will be looked into and addressed.
"If people are concerned about health effects of these chemicals they can call for better safeguards.
"Vinyl chloride is a very important and useful chemical that makes many necessary products and can be used and transported safely; the problem is not the vinyl chloride but rather the failure of appropriate safeguards.
"If you live in the evacuation zone and have questions, hotlines are set up to help."
Call (234) 542-6474 to talk to a toxicologist, or (330) 849-3919 to have the air quality in your home tested. You can also see the EPA's testing results for yourself at epaosc.org.