Study: Railroad Hazmat Incidents Pose Greater Public Health Risk

Feb 28, 2001 12:00 PM

Accidents that occur while hazardous materials are being transported by rail are more harmful to human health and the environment than accidents from other transport modes or from fixed facilities, according to a report in the February 2001 issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The number of railroad events reported to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance system increased from 84 in 1993 to 177 in 1998. Comparisons of data on railroad and non-railroad events were made. The results overall indicated a greater potential impact of railroad events on public health.

A median number of of 2,039 persons were living within a one-mile radius of railroad events versus 982 for non-railroad incidents. Railroad event victims were more likely to need hospital treatment than non-railroad incident victims. Railroad event victims were more likely to need hospital treatment. The article also noted that people living near chemical plants and related facilities have access to worst-case scenario information, as required by the Environmental Protection Agency, but transportation-related risks are not covered by the EPA rule. The report recommends that the Department of Transportation address the issue.

Entitled “Public Health Risks of Railroad Hazardous Substance Emergency Event,” the report was based on data collected by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an agency of the Center for Disease Control. The report was written by Maureen F Orr, MS; Wendy E Kaye, PhD; Perri Zeitz, MPH; Marilyn E Powers, BA; and Lisa Rosenthal, BA.