LISTENERS. I’M SHANNON PERRINE A TRAIN DERAILMENT, A CONTROL OLD CHEMICAL RELEASE AND A LOT OF QUESTIONS. IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN ONE MONTH SINCE A TRAIN WENT OFF THE TRACKS IN EAST PALESTINE, OHIO, RELEASING TOXIC CHEMICALS INTO THE AIR. TODAY WE’RE WRAPPING OUR HEADS AROUND THE LINGER EFFECTS OF THIS ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER. I CAN TELL YOU THIS MUCH. THIS WAS 100% PREVENTABLE. WE CALL THINGS ACCIDENTS. THERE IS NO ACCIDENT. IT WAS ALL AVOIDABLE. THAT’S WHAT THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD SAYS ABOUT THE DERAILMENT. BUT HERE IN EAST PALESTINE, THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE. TOXIC. MY WIFE WITH 15 MINUTES, SHE HAS SHE GETS A HEADACHE JUST BEING OUT AND BEING AROUND IT. IT IS NOT SAFE IN MY HOME. I CAN’T SELL WITH PEOPLE WORRIED ABOUT THE AIR THEY BREATHE AND THE WATER THEY DRINK. SURROUNDING TOWNS ALSO TAKING A HIT. BUT IT HAS JUST BEEN PRETTY DRAINING. WE HEAR FROM AN ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF USING WATER IN A NEW WAY. I DON’T KNOW. I’M JUST TRYING TO BELIEVE MY MY EYES AND MY EARS AND MY SENSES AND A FARMER USING THESE GAS AS A GAUGE. ALSO THIS MORNING, DANGEROUS CHEMICALS AND HUMAN HEALTH, BUT SOMETHING LIKE VINYL CHLORIDE. I THINK MORE ABOUT LONG TERM LIVER DAMAGE AND DEMENTIA MENTIONED THE CANCER. A UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH TOXICOLOGIST LAYS OUT THE RISKS. AND UNDERSTANDING THE SITUATION IN THE AIR. YOU KNOW, I FELT LIKE THIS WAS A WAY THAT WE COULD CONTRIBUTE AND PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BE ACTIONABLE TO PEOPLE. WHAT A RESEARCHER FROM CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY HAS DISCOVERED SO FAR IN BOTH OHIO AND PENNSYLVANIA. PEOPLE NEAR THE DERAILMENT SITE ARE NAVIGATING UNFAMILIAR, CLEAR TERRITORY. THIS MORNING, WE HEAR FROM AN ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF PREPARING HOSE WATER WITH BOTTLED WATER AND A FARMER GROWING RESILIENCE. ONE COLUMBIA IN A COUNTY, OHIO, FIRE STATION HAS A NEW SERVICE ON TAP. THE NEGLEY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT IN MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP HAS BECOME A WARD FOR DISTRIBUTION SITE. WE ARE RECOMMENDING FOR EVERYONE BOTTLED WATER AND IT’S KIND OF OUT OF THAT ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION. YOU KNOW, UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY START GETTING THESE WELLS TESTED AND FIGURING OUT WHAT BOXES ARE THERE, YOU REALLY DON’T KNOW. MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF RUDY SACKETT IS HELPING LEAD THE OPERATION. NO ONE IN THIS AREA HAS PUBLIC WATER. GOT IT. OKAY. DON’T LEAVE THE VILLAGE OF EAST PALESTINE AND A LITTLE WEE BIT OF OUTLYING, BUT VERY SMALL. HE SAYS MOST OF THE COMMUNITY RELIES ON WELL, WATER. THE PROBLEM? THEY ARE DOWNSTREAM FROM THE DERAILMENT SITE. SOME OF IT RAN OFF. OKAY. AND IT RAN INTO SULFUR CREEK. NOW, SOME OF THAT WAS INITIALLY THEY TRIED TO COLLECT IT, BUT THE -- THAT THEY HAD PUT IN PLACE FAILED. SO IT ACTUALLY ENDED UP GOING FROM SULFUR CREEK TO LESLIE’S RUN TO BEAVER CREEK. SACKETT HAS SEEN A RANGE OF EMOTIONS FROM NEIGHBORS. IT’S A WHOLE GAMUT. OKAY. AS USUAL, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM LOOK AT IT FROM THE POINT THAT IT’S NOTHING. IT WILL PASS. IT’S OKAY. AND SOME OF THEM ARE VERY DISTRAUGHT. IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW, I GUESS HOW YOU PLACE YOUR VALUE ON SCIENCE AND HOW GROUNDED YOU ARE AS TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS TRUE. I THINK IT’S DEFINITELY INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF ANXIETY. IF YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED, THOUGH, THIS IS A VERY POOR AREA. OKAY. IT HAS A LOT OF ECONOMIC ISSUES. IT WAS INITIALLY PART OF THE. YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF, I GUESS, RUST BELT BECAUSE OF OF STEEL MILLS BEFORE THAT, POTTERY WAS A BIG DEAL. IT’S NOT SOME PLACE WHERE THERE ARE MOVING PEOPLE THAT ARE MAKING, YOU KNOW, $100,000. THAT’S FOR SURE, A YEAR. MOST FOLKS ARE PROBABLY DOWN IN THE FIFTIES OR FORTIES, YOU KNOW. SO I THINK IT JUST ADDS TO THEIR LEVEL OF ANXIETY. THE SITUATION HASN’T BEEN EASY FOR HIS TEAM EITHER. TIRED. ALL RIGHT. YOU KNOW, THERE’S ALWAYS A LOT OF ISSUES IN FIRE IN THE EMS BECAUSE YOU’RE DEALING WITH FOLKS LIVES ON THE EMS SIDE OF IT. BUT IT HAS JUST BEEN PRETTY DRAINING. ALL RIGHT. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THE FIREMEN THAT WE HAD HERE, ESPECIALLY THE YOUNGER ONES THAT JUST AREN’T USED TO SOMETHING THAT LARGE. AND OVERPOWERING. SO THEY’VE HAD SOME SOME ISSUES SLEEPING AND SUCH. DESPITE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE EMERGENCY, HE SAYS HIS FIREFIGHTERS HAVE ANSWERED THE CALL, AS THEY ALWAYS DO. THESE FOLKS HAVE BEEN JUST FANTASTIC. OKAY. YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY THAT WE’VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE WATER, WE’VE HAD PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING TO BE HERE. WE’VE RECEIVED WATER FROM TEXAS. IT’S JUST INCREDIBLE. SO, YES, I TRULY DOES BRING OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE AS FIRST RESPONDERS RISE TO THE CHALLENGE. HE VOICES CONCERNS ABOUT HOW WELL THE LAYERS OF GOVERNMENT, LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL WILL WORK TOGETHER. YOU HAVE AN AWFUL LOT OF POLITICS WHEN YOU DEAL WITH SO MANY DIGNITARIES, I’LL SAY. ALL RIGHT. EACH ONE WANTS TO BE IN CHARGE AND EACH AGENCY, ESPECIALLY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, HAS THEIR OWN LITTLE JURISDICTION. IT’S CERTAINLY SEEMS THAT THEY SHOULD BE OUT DOING WATER SAMPLING, OF COURSE, IN LAKES. THEY SHOULD BE DOING GROUND SAMPLING AND VEGETATE. AND I DON’T THINK THEY’VE STARTED THAT YET. THEN THE OTHER PROBLEM THAT WE WOULD HAVE IN THIS COMMUNITY IS ONE THAT THE WELL WATER THAT PEOPLE RELY UPON NEEDS TO BE TESTED. NOW AND THEN AGAIN IN PROBABLY THREE MONTHS AND MAYBE THREE MONTHS AFTER, BECAUSE THE PERCOLATE FROM THE STREAM TO THE WATER WELL TAKES A WHILE. HERE AT TALL PINES FARMS IN DARLINGTON TOWNSHIP, BEAVER COUNTY, THIS FLOCK GRAZES A FEW MILES FROM THE DERAILMENT SITE. FARMER RACHEL WAGONER RAISES GRASS FED BEEF AND LAMB. THESE ARE MY ANIMALS THAT NEED A LITTLE AC. SHE SAYS THE DERAILMENT POPPED ONTO HER RADAR RIGHT AWAY. I HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, SO I KNEW ABOUT IT. BASICALLY RIGHT WHEN IT HAPPENED. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY, YOU KNOW, LIKE A BIG, CRAZY THING. BUT I NEVER EXPECTED IT TO, YOU KNOW, DRAG ON. WEEKS LATER, HER ANIMALS SEEM OKAY. I’M TRYING TO BELIEVE MY MY EYES AND MY EARS AND MY SENSES. ALL OF MY ANIMALS APPEAR TO BE FINE. I MEAN, WE’RE HAVING MORE ISSUES FROM THE WARM WINTER. I WOULD SAY, THAN ANYTHING ELSE. SHE SAYS HER DAY TO DAY HAS NOT CHANGED MUCH SINCE THE DERAILMENT, BUT SHE DOES WONDER IF TROUBLING LEVELS OF DIOXINS HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND. JUST, I GUESS, NOT KNOWING JUST THE NOT KNOWING. DIOXINS ARE HIGHLY TOXIC CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS. THEY CAN TAKE A LONG TIME TO BREAK DOWN IN THE ENVIRONMENT. EXPERTS SAY THEY ARE CREATED THROUGH COMBUSTION AND ATTACHED TO DUST PARTICLES. SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR HOMER AND OTHER ANIMALS ON THIS FARM? IF THE SOIL PARTICLES ARE DISTURBED FROM THE SOIL AND GET ON THE PLANT, YOU KNOW, IF THERE’S DIRT ON WHATEVER HE’S EATING, THEN HE COULD GET SOME INSIDE OF HIM AND IT’S STORED. I MEAN, MOST OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO DIOXINS IS FROM ANIMAL FATS AND TISSUE. SO, I MEAN, THAT’S A CONCERN. IT’S A CONVERSATION SHE’S PREPARING TO HAVE WITH CUSTOMERS. I MEAN, IT’S JUST THE SAME. IT’S JUST ANOTHER THING, I GUESS, TO EXPLAIN IF PEOPLE CARE ABOUT IT, IF THEY YOU KNOW, IF THEY THINK IT’S FINE. I MEAN, WHAT DO THEY KNOW? WHAT’S IN THEIR MEAT THAT THEY’RE BUYING AT THE GROCERY STORE? I MEAN, I PROBABLY NOT. AT LEAST I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING HERE. BUT OVERALL, SHE’S CHOOSING TO TAKE THE SITUATION DAY BY DAY. YOU GOT TO CONTROL YOUR CONTROLLABLES, RIGHT? WHAT CAN I CONTROL HERE? I MEAN, AM I GOING TO WORRY ABOUT DIOXINS IN THE SOIL? NO, BUT IS THERE SOMETHING I CAN DO? PERHAPS IN MY MANAGEMENT OF MY LAND OR MY MANAGEMENT OF MY ANIMALS THAT COULD LESSEN THE RISK OF THEM TAKING THEM UP? PERHAPS BETTER PASTURE MANAGEMENT, PLANTING SOME SORT OF CROP THAT. WOULD YOU KNOW, KEEP ORGANIC MATTER LIKE THOSE ARE CONTROLLABLE WAYS, RIGHT? SO I CAN I CAN DO THOSE THINGS. THE EPA ANNOUNCED THIS MONTH, WEEKS AFTER THE DERAILMENT, THAT IT WILL BE TESTING FOR DIOXINS. THE AGENCY ORDERED NORFOLK SOUTHERN TO DO THE SAMPLING. THIS COULD HELP RACHEL WAGONER AND OTHER PEOPLE IN THE AREA STOP WONDERING WHAT IF AND GET SOME ANSWERS. STILL AHEAD, ON TO ELLISON’S THE GREATEST SENSE OF IMPACT WILL BE CLOSEST TO THAT SITE. WHAT PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR THE DERAILMENT ARE UP AGAINST. WE SIT DOWN WITH THE TOXICOLOGY. WHO HELPS US UNDERSTAND THE TOXIC CHEMICALS IN QUESTION. WELCOME BACK TO LISTENERS. TOXICOLOGY CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT THE CHEMICAL EXPOSURES CAUSED BY THE DERAILMENT COULD HAVE ON PEOPLE’S HEALTH. WE SAT DOWN WITH AN EXPERT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH’S SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT’S AT STAKE. RIGHT NOW, WE’RE TALKING WITH DR. JAMES FORBIS. HE IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH’S SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. AND YOU SEEM LIKE THE PERFECT PERSON TO TALK TO JUST SO WE CAN GET SOME INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON IN EAST PALESTINE AND HOW WE SHOULD APPROACH THIS. YOU KNOW, IS THERE A PLAYBOOK FOR DEALING WITH THIS DISASTER? DO WE HAVE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PAST? IN A WAY, WE DO. I THINK ONE OF THE SORT OF PRECEDENTS FOR THIS COULD BE, ALTHOUGH IT MAY NOT BE THE EXACT SAME MAGNITUDE, BUT WOULD BE THE DEEPWATER HORIZON GULF OIL SPILL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH. AND THERE’S VERY MUCH WHENEVER THERE’S A MARINE OIL SPILL LIKE THAT, THERE’S VERY MUCH A SORT OF CODIFIED PROCESS THAT FALLS INTO PLAY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WHERE THERE’S LEADERSHIP THAT’S MADE UP OF THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY. AND IN THIS CASE WOULD BE NORFOLK SOUTHERN OR IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. IT WOULD BE BP, A STATE OVERSIGHT AGENCY AND A FEDERAL OVERSIGHT AGENCY. IN THE CASE OF THE GULF, IT WAS THE COAST GUARD. IN THE CASE OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS, QUICK, EASILY BE THE U.S. EPA. BUT IMPORTANTLY, IS THAT ALL THREE OF THOSE PARTIES HAVE EQUAL LEADERSHIP IN THE RESPONSE AND THAT ANY MEASURE THAT’S TAKEN AS PART OF THAT RESPONSE ESSENTIALLY MEETS THE APPROVAL OF ALL THREE PARTIES. AND SO THERE’S A SENSE OF TRANSPARENCY, A SENSE OF COOPERATION. EACH OF THESE THREE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAT THEY CAN CALL ON TO LET THESE THINGS HAPPEN. YEAH, AND EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT, I’M SURE. WHICH LEADS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION. WE’RE ALL GOING BACK TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSES. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT AIR, WATER AND SOIL. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND HOW THIS DISASTER IS IMPACTING ALL OF THAT. I THINK ABOUT HOW THESE LITTLE TRIBUTARIES AND CREEKS AND SOME FISH KILLS IN THAT AREA. EVERYTHING IS FLOWING INTO THE OHIO RIVER DOWNSTREAM, MAKING ITS WAY TO, YOU KNOW, THE DELTA OF MISSISSIPPI. RIGHT. AND AND ON THE FLIPSIDE OF THAT, THE AIR FLOW KIND OF GOES WEST TO EAST. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS, DO YOU THINK ABOUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS? YES, I DO THINK ABOUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS, BUT I THINK OF THEM PRIMARILY FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE GREATEST SENSE OF IMPACT WILL BE CLOSER TO THAT SITE. OKAY. BUT CLEARLY, CHEMICALS WILL MOVE AROUND IN THE ENVIRONMENT, DEPENDING ON THE CHEMICAL, THEY WILL MOVE AT DIFFERENT RATES. SOME OF THEM WILL BE VERY, VERY VOLATILE AND EVAPORATE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, SOME LESS SO, SO THAT IT TAKES LESS TIME FOR THEM TO EVAPORATE. THEY’LL STAY IN THE SOIL LONGER. THEY WILL MOVE AS A FUNCTION OF THE WATER TABLE. FOR EXAMPLE, AND MAY ENTER PEOPLE’S HOMES NOT ONLY THROUGH DRINKING WATER, BUT IF THAT PLUME OR AMOUNT OF CHEMICAL IN THE GROUND GETS CLOSE TO SOMEONE’S BASEMENT, THEN THOSE VOLATILE CHEMICALS CAN SORT OF DIFFUSE THROUGH THE BASEMENT WALL. WE CALL THAT VAPOR INTRUSION. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT IS A LITTLE BIT SCARY WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT. AND THAT SEEMS TO TAKE A LONG TIME. WHAT’S THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT WE NEED TO BE STUDYING THAT THE POSSIBLE POLLUTION AND HARM FROM THIS IN THIS AREA? SURE. I WOULD SAY FOR A FAIRLY LONG PERIOD OF TIME, IT’S HARD TO PUT AN EXACT NUMBER ON IT, IN PART BECAUSE WE REALLY NEED TO KNOW THE SORT OF AMOUNT AND EXTENT OF CHEMICAL THAT IS THERE. NOW, AT THIS MOMENT, HOW BIG IS THAT POOL THAT STILL REMAINS IN THE GROUND? AND THEN SET UP A WAY TO MONITOR ITS MOVEMENT SO THAT WE SORT OF PICK THOSE SITES RIGHT ON THE EDGE AND AND WATCH IT MOVE ESSENTIALLY RATHER THAN RANDOM. WE TEST EVERYONE’S HOUSE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS SORT OF A SYSTEMATIC WAY THAT THIS CAN BE APPROACHED. HOW CONCERNED SHOULD WE BE ABOUT DIOXINS? DIOXINS ARE THEORETICALLY PRODUCED FROM THE COMBUSTION. THERE WERE NO DIOXIN AND LIKE CHEMICALS THAT WERE CARRIED BY THE TRAIN. THEY CAN CERTAINLY BE PRODUCED BY THE COMBUSTION OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE PLASTIC, PERHAPS VINYL CHLORIDE. BUT I THINK THAT IS VERY MUCH A AT THIS POINT, A HYPOTHETICAL OR THEORETICAL, BUT THEORETICAL ENOUGH THAT IT THAT IT CERTAINLY WARRANTS SOME MEASUREMENTS TO BE MADE. SO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE AMOUNT OF DIOXIN PARTICULATES, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT HAVE SETTLED AROUND VERY CLOSE TO THE AREA OF THE CONTROLLED BURN. WE’VE HEARD A LOT OF CHEMICAL NAMES, A LOT OF THEM I’VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE, OR CHLORIDE, ACRYLAMIDE. WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE CHEMICAL NAMES THAT HAVE BEEN TALKED ABOUT WITH THIS DISASTER AND HOW CAN THEY IMPACT HUMAN BEINGS? SURE. WELL, ALL OF THESE CHEMICALS CAN HAVE SOME ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECT OF VARYING DEGREE, RANGING FROM KIND OF THE SHORT TERM IRRITATION SYMPTOMS THAT WE’VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT. SORE THROATS, RUNNY EYES, PERHAPS BLOODY NOSES AND HIGH ENOUGH CONCENTRATION. SOME OF THEM ARE ALSO ESPECIALLY OVER LOWER CONCENTRATIONS, BUT OVER LONGER PERIODS OF TIME CAN DIRECTLY DAMAGE THE LIVER, SUCH AS VINYL CHLORIDE. VINYL CHLORIDE IS ALSO A CARCINOGEN. ACRYLAMIDE WOULD BE ONE OF THE CHEMICALS THAT’S SORT OF AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THOSE IRRITATING CHEMICALS. IT’S ACTUALLY PROBABLY THE REASON THAT PEOPLE DEVELOP LUNG DISEASE OR AFTER SMOKE INHALATION IN ALMOST ANY KIND OF FIRE SO ACCURATELY AND WOULD BE PRODUCED IN ANY SORT OF COMBUSTION SITUATION. IT’S INTERESTING THAT IT SORT OF STILL HANGING AROUND FOR SO LONG. SO I THINK IT BEARS KEEPING AN EYE ON AS TO SORT OF WHERE THAT’S COMING FROM. BUT IN THAT PARTICULAR CHEMICAL, I’M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SORT OF SHORT TERM IRRITATING EFFECTS. BUT SOMETHING LIKE VINYL CHLORIDE. I THINK MORE ABOUT LONG TERM LIVER DAMAGE AND EVENTUALLY CANCER, FOR EXAMPLE. OKAY. STILL AHEAD, TURNING TO DATA. ALMOST NOTHING IS KNOWN ABOUT SORT OF LONG TERM LOWER LEVEL EXPOSURES. PITTSBURGH BASED RESEARCHERS ON THE GROUND IN EAST PALESTINE, WHY THEY’RE TRYING TO INDEPENDENTLY GET ANSWERS FOR PEOPLE. WELCOME BACK TO WTAE LISTENERS. ON FEBRUARY 20TH AND 21ST, RESEARCHER GROUPS FROM CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY AND TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY MONIT HEARD AIR POLLUTION IN EAST PALESTINE. USING C, I USE MOBILE AIR QUALITY LAB. THEY’RE MAKING CERTAIN IS THE AMOUNT OF ACRYLAMIDE FOUND. LEVELS IN EAST PALESTINE RANGE FROM FIVE TIMES LOWER TO UP TO THREE TIMES HIGHER THAN THOSE IN DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH. CONCENTRATIONS IN THE CITY ARE TYPICAL OF OTHER CITIES NATIONWIDE. BUT THE TEAMS FOUND THAT ALL VALUES OF BENZENE, VINYL CHLORIDE AND OTHER CHEMICALS WERE BELOW THE MINIMAL RISK LEVELS FOR EXPOSURES BETWEEN 15 DAYS AND ONE YEAR. WE SIT DOWN WITH ONE OF THE RESEARCHERS BEHIND THE STUDY TO LEARN MORE. RIGHT NOW, WE’RE SPEAKING WITH PROFESSOR ALBERT PRESTO. HE’S FROM CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY. AND PROFESSOR OF PRESTO, YOU ACTUALLY LEAD UP THE MOBILE TESTING LAB. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU’VE BEEN INTERESTED IN FOR A WHILE. BUT TELL ME IN RELATION TO THIS PALESTINE, WHAT IS YOUR GROUP DOING WITH THIS MOBILE TESTING LAB? RIGHT. SO WE HAVE THIS MOBILE LAB AND WE’VE HAD IT FOR ABOUT A DECADE AND WE HAPPENED TO AT THE START OF FEBRUARY STARTS SAMPLING AROUND PITTSBURGH AND WE’RE USING SOME INSTRUMENTS THAT CAN TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE STUFF THAT MIGHT BE EMITTED FROM THE TRAIN WRECK. AND SO LATER IN FEBRUARY, WE WENT AND WE DID MOBILE SAMPLING, MEANING THAT WE DRIVE AROUND SO WE CAN DRIVE THROUGH PALESTINE, WE CAN DRIVE OF WIND OF IT DOWNWIND, OF IT INTO BEAVER COUNTY AND COLLECT DATA ON DIFFERENT AIR CONTAMINANTS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN RELEASED EITHER, YOU KNOW, INITIALLY DURING THE TRAIN WRECK OR NOW IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE EVAPORATING BECAUSE OF LIQUID THAT DUMPED ON THE GROUND. YEAH. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. YOU KNOW, WE’VE WE’VE ALL SORT OF TRIED TO EDUCATE OURSELVES ABOUT AIR, WATER, SOIL. I MEAN, YOU FOCUS ON AIR, BUT THAT DOES GO BACK TO THE SOIL. CAN SOME PROBLEM, SOME TOXINS STILL REEMERGE FROM THE SOIL IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS AND MONTHS AFTER THIS DISASTER? YES. SO WHATEVER WAS VENTED OR WAS A RESULT OF THE FIRE BACK ON FEBRUARY 2ND, THIRD AND FOURTH, THAT’S ALL LONG GONE. RIGHT. AND SO THE REMAINING CONCERNS ABOUT AIR OR IF MATERIAL FELL ON THE GROUND OR SPILLED ON THE GROUND, AND NOW IS EVAPORATING AND GETTING INTO THE AIR. AND YES, THAT’S A ROUTE THAT CAN HAPPEN. OKAY. SO HOW LONG DO GROUPS LIKE YOU AND THE EPA AND GOVERNMENT NEED TO KEEP TESTING THERE IN EAST PALESTINE? AND MAYBE IN OTHER PLACES, TOO? HOW LONG DO WE NEED TO DO THIS? I THINK THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION. I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DON’T KNOW. SO MY GROUP WILL GO BACK PROBABLY SOMETIME IN MARCH. IT DEPENDS ON HOW FAST THIS STUFF IS EITHER MOVING THROUGH THE SOIL OR GETTING EMITTED, AND IT’S GOING TO DEPEND ON WHAT THE POTENTIAL HEALTH IMPACTS ARE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK THAT’S REALLY NOT KNOWN IS WHAT ARE THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF LONG TERM EXPOSURE AS A LOW LEVEL TO SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WAS EMITTED WHEN WHEN THE TRAIN WRECKED. SO WHAT ARE THE RESULTS SO FAR? I MEAN, YOU’VE GOTTEN SOME SOME SAMPLES COLLECTED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER THE DISASTER. WHAT IS YOUR INFORMATION SHOW RIGHT. SO WE DID SOME SAMPLING. EPA DID SOME SAMPLING AS WELL. WE USED DIFFERENT METHODS. ONE THING THAT WE’VE BOTH IDENTIFIED IS THE PRESENCE OF ACRYLAMIDE. WHICH IS AN IRRITANT. IT’S SMELLY. IT CAN MAKE YOUR EYES BURN AND THEY MEASURED SLIGHTLY ELEVATED CONCENTRATIONS OF THAT, AS DID WE. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS WHERE THERE’S A SORT OF AN OCCUPATIONAL STANDARD FOR REALLY HIGH CONCENTRATIONS THAT CAN CAUSE ACUTE EFFECTS, BUT ALMOST NOTHING IS KNOWN ABOUT SORT OF LONG TERM LOWER LEVEL EXPOSURES. SO LOTS OF FOLKS ARE DOING TESTING THERE IN PALESTINE IN THAT SURROUNDING AREA. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS LIKE YOU TO DO INDEPENDENT TESTING ALONG WITH GOVERNMENT. I THINK WE WERE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE. WE HAVE THIS EXPERTISE IN AIR MONITORING. WE HAVE THE MOBILE LAB. YOU KNOW, I FELT LIKE THIS WAS A WAY THAT WE COULD CONTRIBUTE AND PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BE ACTIONABLE TO PEOPLE. I THINK AT THIS POINT, PEOPLE ARE REALLY HUNGRY FOR ANY INFORMATION. AND DEFINITELY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN APPRECIATIVE WHEN THEY’VE SEEN US SAMPLING. AND SO SORT OF ANY INFORMATION I THINK THEY VIEW IS AS AS BENEFICIAL AND HOPEFULLY WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO HELP THAT WAY. YEAH, THERE IS SOME, YOU KNOW, THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER AND TO HAVE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE, I THINK IT CAN’T HURT TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION. DO YOU GET CONCERNED ABOUT THE POLITICS OF OF THIS DISASTER AND THE BIG NATIONAL FIGURES WHO HAVE BEEN THERE IN THE AREA? DOES THAT WORRY YOU? YES, IT WORRIES ME. AND I WORRY ABOUT PEOPLE IN THAT TOWN BEING USED AS SORT OF POLITICAL PAWNS, AND ESPECIALLY AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCED HARM. YOU’RE WATCHING TO LISTEN. WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK. WELCOME BACK TO WTAE LISTENERS. WHETHER YOU LIVE IN ONE OF PITTSBURGH’S NEIGHBORHOODS OR ANY SURROUNDING COMMUNITY, TELL US WHAT’S WRONG, WHAT’S RIGHT SO WE CAN LISTEN. YOU CAN SEND US AN EMAIL, WTAE LISTENERS AT HURST DOT COM. THANKS FOR JOINING US AND HAVE A GOOD.