Using an Electronic Self-Administered Survey Among First Responders to Evaluate the Potential Human Health Effects of Hazardous Substances Released as a Result of a Train Derailment Incident—East Palestine, Ohio, USA, February—March 2023
To understand the potential human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances among first responders from the East Palestine train derailment, an electronic self-administered Assessment of Chemical Exposures (ACE) survey was created and available to first responders between February-March 2023. Among the 339 completed responder surveys analyzed, most reported working at least 1 day during the incident between February 3-8, 2023. Most (79%) reported inhaling, touching, or swallowing potentially harmful substances and did not report using a face mask or respirator while working (75%). Nearly half reported at least 1 new or worsening physical symptom after incident response. These findings support several recommendations to mitigate exposure to hazardous substances among first responders during future incidents, including using a hierarchy of controls framework to reduce exposure to hazards, timely communication of possible hazardous substances involved in the event, and using the Emergency Responder Health Monitoring Surveillance (ERHMS) framework.
Authors
- Vidisha Parasram (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1305-078X)
- Sophia Chiu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8492-8441)
- Emily A. Groene (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1636-7061)
- Courtney Dewart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4146-2300)
- Laurel Harduar‐Morano
- Carolyn Crisp (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4591-0262)
- Valerie Madera-García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3596-7161)
- Sharon Watkins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0836-4004)
- Dallas S. Shi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-6427)
- Amel Omari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6345-1947)
- Jill Shugart
- Chad Dowell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7128-0255)
- Remy Babich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2795-4379)
- Melissa Dulcey
- Maureen F. Orr (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7612-5916)
- Kristen Dickerson
- Lisa A Goldsworthy
- Kathryn Burr
- Beatrice Gichuhi
Institutions
- Arizona Department of Health Services (US)
- Virginia Department of Health (US)
- Pennsylvania Department of Health (US)
- Chicago Department of Public Health (US)
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (US)
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (US)
- Ohio Department of Health (US)
- National Center for Environmental Health (US)
- Office of Readiness and Response (US)
- National Center for HIV/AIDS Viral Hepatitis STD and TB Prevention (US)
- West Virginia State Department of Health and Human Resources (US)
- Center for Global Health (US)
- Epidemic Intelligence Service (US)
- Maricopa County Department of Public Health (US)
- Michigan State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2024.291
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Occupational Health and Safety Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.54