Urinary Metabolites of Volatile Organic Compounds in a Subset of East Palestine, Ohio Residents Five Months Following the Train Derailment Disaster

Abstract The February 2023 train derailment and subsequent vent and burn of 129,000 gallons of vinyl chloride in East Palestine, Ohio, raised a high level of concern about exposure to hazardous chemicals such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) among residents. In this study, we measured urine metabolite levels of eight (8) VOCs collected five (5) months after the incident from 19 (19) nonsmoking East Palestine residents living within approximately one mile from the derailment site and compared them with levels from a comparison community and 2015–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. The samples were analyzed with a Thermo Altis LC–MS–MS system. Nearly 75% of East Palestine participants had detectable levels of a vinyl chloride metabolite, 2-hydroxyethylmercapturate (HEMA), whereas none of the comparison community participants had detectable levels and only 5% of NHANES participants had levels above the 3.0 ng/mL limit of detection (LOD). One East Palestine participant had a quantifiable level of the butyl acrylate metabolite, whereas none of the Marietta residents was above the LOD. The metabolite was not measured in the NHANES. The detection of metabolites of derailment-related chemicals supports the need for long-term follow-up of residents of this community and its surrounding area.