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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
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 May 2025
Abstract
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.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Report from the Field
- Information
- Creative Commons
- To the extent this is a work of the US Government, it is not subject to copyright protection within the United States. To the extent this work is subject to copyright outside of the United States, such copyright shall be assigned to the Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health and licensed to the Publisher. Outside of the United States the US Government retains a paid-up, non-exclusive, irrevocable worldwide licence to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies to the public and display publicly the Contribution, and to permit others to do so. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.
- Copyright
- © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc., 2025.
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