EAST PALESTINE — A team from the University of Pittsburgh is collecting data to answer the question that has been hanging over East Palestine since the 2023 train derailment led to the release of 1.1 million pounds of vinyl chloride over the village in February of 2023: What impacts will the exposure to the chemical have on public health?

To find the answer, Dr. Maureen Lichtveldm (Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh ) and Dr. Juliane Beier (Assistant Professor of Medicine and researcher at Pitt’s School of Medicine) are leading one of the studies funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and announced by former President Joe Biden during his trip to East Palestine last year. The point of that study keep on eye out for signs of liver dysfunction in the wake of the derailment.

“We are testing indoor air and outside air, drinking water and garden soil for chemicals released during the derailment,” Lichtveldm said during a health fair held at the East Palestine Municipal Building on Saturday. “We want to see what those levels are and what that means for the people who may have been exposed to these chemicals — particularly vinyl chloride which is known to cause liver cancer.”

Whether or not those in the village suffered vinyl chloride (VC) exposure has been fiercely debated. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long maintained that exposure was minimal, while some residents insist lab work completed on their own dime proves the opposite. Those residents have presented urinalysis results that indicate high levels of thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA) — one of the body’s breakdown products of vinyl chloride and a possible biomarker for exposure to the chemical. Testing for a metabolite is the only way to detect vinyl chloride exposure, as vinyl chloride breaks down in the body rapidly.

The researchers from Pitt are also collecting biospecimens from residents who are concerned about VC exposure.

Beier said those biological samples — two tubes of blood and a urine specimen — can be collected at the East Palestine Health Clinic by an appointment. The study also involves the use of FibroScan — a non-invasive imaging tool used to measure liver stiffness and scarring — to monitor liver health of participants.

“We are looking for impacts vinyl chloride may have already and in the future,” Beier said. “We want to monitor community liver health. The FibroScan is another way we can do that.”

Beier has been investigating the link between liver disease and VC for years, even at lower-levels. Her study that exposed mice to vinyl chloride in “safe” amounts found that 100 percent of those mice developed tumors with 80 percent developing major malignant liver cancer. Beier was also a member of a research team that discovered a connection between liver cancer and VC-exposed workers at rubber plants in Kentucky.

The East Palestine study is looking for the presence and distribution of VC and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals” in surface water and soil samples in impacted areas through residential air, garden and well water sampling.

The results of the environmental testing will direct where and from whom to collect additional blood work — blood samples from people with contaminated indoor air in their homes will be taken to screen for potential damage to their liver from VC.

The Pitt study consists of seven components — liver health screening, parents’ survey on children’s health, in-home water testing, in-home air testing, outdoor air testing, garden testing and community-based researching (helping collect air and water samples). Participants who live within eight miles of the derailment in Ohio or Pennsylvania and take part in all components will be compensated with a $125 stipend.

The Pitt team will hold a “Your Voice, Your Health, Your Community” event at the East Palestine Memorial Library on May 3 from 3 to 5 p.m. The event is meant to serve as a meet-and-greet between community members and researchers to explain the study in detail.

For information about the East Palestine Train Derailment Health Studies at the University of Pittsburgh or to participate, visit publichealth.pitt.edu.

selverd@mojonews.com