Study uses Graniteville accident as focal point

A new study examining the aftereffects of the exposure to chlorine gas caused on individuals exposed by the Graniteville train derailment has been released in an emergency medicine journal.

The study, released just ahead of the fourth anniversary of the disaster is featured in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine extrapolates how the chlorine gas disaster gives larger metropolitan areas important insight into what to expect and how to prepare emergency response systems for an accidental or terrorist release of the potentially deadly gas.

Early on Jan. 6, 2005, a Norfolk Southern train veered off the main track onto a spur, rear-ending a parked train whose crew had failed to switch the tracks back to the main rail.

The wreck ruptured a car carrying chlorine and released a poisonous cloud over the town. Nine people died and 250 were injured.

Some 5,400 people were evacuated.

"This is one of the largest community exposures to chlorine gas since World War I," said David Van Sickle, Ph.D., a the lead author of the report. "It was a tragic disaster that shows us what a significant challenge a large-scale chlorine gas release poses to health care facilities."

The study itself has no dramatic conclusion but states that those exposed should continue to be monitored in order to gauge the long-term effects.

"Ongoing efforts by the DHEC to quantify the levels of chlorine exposure and monitor this population for long-term health effect will contribute to understanding of the public health impact of chlorine gas releases," the conclusion states.

Due to the unique nature of the disaster, it is used as a benchmark.

"We also wanted to understand how physicians treated the patients, how quickly they recovered, and what resources hospitals would need to respond effectively in the future," Van Sickle said.

According to the report, many hospitalized patients showed evidence of severe lung damage.

More than a third were admitted to intensive care, and 10 percent required mechanical ventilation. But despite the severity of their injuries, the majority recovered quickly and was discharged within a week.