2026-10-14T10:07:55Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33571150 2026-09-29T13:33:43Z category_4 category_7 category_21 category_272 category_873 category_45 category_734 category_69 category_106 portal_63 item_type_6 month_year_09_2026

Urinary Metabolites of Volatile Organic Compounds in a Subset of East Palestine, Ohio Residents Five Months Following the Train Derailment Disaster Erin N. Haynes (706806) Timothy J. Hilbert (18783326) Bela G. Nelson (24764800) Christine Kim (202764) Misti Allison (24764803) Nicholas Peraino (24764806) Candace Brancato (18783329) Kristen McQuerry (22099955) Judy Westrick (14161346) Biochemistry Medicine Biotechnology Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Sociology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Inorganic Chemistry Science Policy volatile organic compounds nutrition examination survey related chemicals supports butyl acrylate metabolite vocs collected five train derailment disaster vinyl chloride metabolite east palestine participants comparison community participants vinyl chloride east palestine hazardous chemicals comparison community whereas none term follow surrounding area subsequent vent quantifiable level nhanes participants nearly 75 ml limit high level derailment site 000 gallons 0 ng 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. 2026-09-29T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 10.1021/acs.est.6c01315.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Urinary_Metabolites_of_Volatile_Organic_Compounds_in_a_Subset_of_East_Palestine_Ohio_Residents_Five_Months_Following_the_Train_Derailment_Disaster/33571150 CC BY-NC 4.0