Natural Attenuation Potential of Vinyl Chloride and Butyl Acrylate Released in the East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment Accident

The East Palestine, Ohio train derailment released toxic vinyl chloride (VC) and butyl acrylate (BA), which entered the watershed. Streambed sediment, surface water, and private well water samples were collected 128 and 276 days postaccident to assess the natural attenuation potential of VC and BA by quantifying biodegradation biomarker genes and conducting microcosm treatability studies. qPCR detected the aerobic VC degradation biomarkers <i>etnC</i> in ∼40% and <i>etnE</i> in ∼27% of sediments collected in both sampling campaigns in abundances reaching 10⁵ gene copies g^-1. The 16S rRNA genes of organohalide-respiring <i>Dehalococcoides</i> and <i>Dehalogenimonas</i> were, respectively, detected in 50 and 64% of sediment samples collected 128 days postaccident and in 63 and 88% of sediment samples collected 276 days postaccident, in abundances reaching 10⁷ cells g^-1. Elevated detection frequencies of VC degradation biomarker genes were measured immediately downstream of the accident site (i.e., Sulphur Run). Aerobic VC degradation occurred in all sediment microcosms and coincided with increases of <i>etnC</i>/<i>etnE</i> genes and <i>Mycobacterium</i>, a genus comprising aerobic VC degraders. The conversion of VC to ethene and an increased abundance of VC reductive dechlorination biomarker genes were observed in microcosms established with sediments collected from Sulphur Run. All anoxic microcosms rapidly degraded BA to innocuous products with intermediate formation of <i>n</i>-butanol and acrylate. The results indicate that microbiomes in the East Palestine watershed have natural attenuation capacity for VC and BA. Recommendations are made to improve first-response actions in future contaminant release accidents of this magnitude.