Newly released data has revealed that the levels of cancer-causing toxins at the site of a train derailment in an Ohio town in the United States are significantly above the safe limit.
According to The Guardian, a former head of the US National Toxicology Program and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientist, Linda Birnbaum, has stated that the levels of toxins detected in two soil samples from the train derailment site in Ohio are up to 14 times higher than the dioxin soil limits observed in some US states. Furthermore, the data suggests that there may be more extensive contamination in the area.
When chlorine is burned, a common industrial process used in the production of products like polymer pipes, dioxins are created as a byproduct. Dioxins belong to a category of chemicals.
As per The Guardian, the quote “The levels are not screaming high, but we have confirmed that dioxins are in East Palestine’s soil,” was attributed to someone who suggested that the soil in East Palestine contains dioxins. They also mentioned that the EPA should conduct more comprehensive soil testing in the surrounding region.
The train accident in East Palestine and the subsequent toxic aftermath have garnered significant attention in the United States. The lack of action by Norfolk Southern, the train operator, and the government has been criticized by both locals and activists.
Based on the released data, the soil at the train crash site appears to have a “2,3,7,8 TCDD toxicity equivalence” of 700 parts per trillion (ppt). However, it falls below the threshold of 1,000 ppt that would prompt the authorities to take action to clean up residential areas.
Compared to Ohio’s train derailment site, the cleanup thresholds in several US states are much lower. For example, Michigan has a threshold of 90 ppt, while California’s threshold is set at 50 ppt.
According to The Guardian, Carsten Prasse, an organic chemist at Johns Hopkins University and scientific adviser for SimpleLab, has expressed concern over the concentration levels. “So based on this, the concentrations are actually concerning,” he was quoted as saying.