University researchers confirmed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air-testing results near the site of the train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, that show during certain periods the chemical acrolein was three times higher than levels found in the much larger, urban area of downtown Pittsburgh.
Texas A&M University and Carnegie Mellon University researchers used Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies Mobile lab on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21 to measure air quality in East Palestine. The universities tested for benzene, toluene, xylene and vinyl chloride and determined they fell below intermediate duration contact levels, those that last for 15 days to a year, as set by the Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The researchers also corroborated EPA findings that no hot spots for these chemicals or emissions from specific sources could expose local populations to elevated health risks.
But acrolein levels ranged from three times higher than those found in Pittsburgh to five times lower. Rural areas typically have much lower levels of acrolein than larger cities, such as Pittsburgh, according to the researchers.
“Our mobile sampling results show that for many of these pollutants, the concentrations are within typical ranges, said Albert Presto, a research professor in the department of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and member of the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, in a media post by the Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering. “Acrolein remains a chemical of potential concern.”
Continued monitoring will be necessary for acrolein and other potential chemicals of concern, said Weihsueh Chiu, a professor at the Texas A&M School of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences and deputy director of the Superfund Center.
“But I wouldn’t say that any of our data suggests an immediate safety hazard,” said Chiu in a Texas A&M report.
