Study: Impact of Chlorine Gas Release in Metro Areas
A new study examining the after effects of a chlorine gas disaster in a South Carolina town gives larger metropolitan areas important insights into what to expect and how to prepare emergency response systems for an accidental or terrorist release of the potentially deadly gas. The study is now available in the January, 2009 issue of the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Hospitals need to be able to quickly recognize the signs of chlorine exposure, and have a plan to provide a sufficient number of mechanical ventilators in the event of another massive chlorine disaster. Involved in the study were the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
In January 2005, a freight train carrying three tanker cars—each loaded with 90 tons of chlorine—collided with a parked locomotive in the center of Graniteville, SC, a 7,000-person town located 15 miles from Augusta, GA. The 2 a.m. train collision ruptured one tank, releasing between 42 and 60 tons of chlorine gas that infiltrated a large textile mill, where 180 people were working the overnight shift.
On the night of the South Carolina disaster, eight people died at the scene. At least 525 people were treated in emergency rooms and 71 were hospitalized, at nine hospitals in South Carolina and Georgia.
Chlorine gas is an irritating, fast-acting and potentially deadly inhalant. It is also one of the most universal toxic chemicals, widely used in water treatment and industrial manufacturing. Much of the 13 million to 14 million tons produced in the U.S. each year is transported by rail, often through densely populated areas.
New federal regulations on the transport of rail cargo seek to prevent a similar disaster in a major metropolitan area. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security has identified a deliberate attack on a chlorine storage tank as a top concern. According to agency estimates, as many as 100,000 people would be hospitalized and 10,000 would die if a chlorine storage tank was attacked in an urban area. In 2007, terrorists used chlorine gas in at least seven attacks on U.S. troops.
While small accidental and occupational exposures to chlorine gas occur regularly, the South Carolina disaster was one of the largest community exposures in modern history. As a result, CDC and South Carolina DHEC scientists sought to learn as much as possible about the health effects from this widespread chlorine gas exposure.
The study, Acute Health Effects After Exposure to Chlorine Gas Released After a Train Derailment, is available by clicking here.
