Subject: UJDP The Ohio train derailment and what it means for the rest of us on the Ohio River.

I would like to take the time to reintroduce myself. My name is Monica Unseld and I have a doctorate in biology (endocrine disruption and environmental signaling) and a Master’s in public health. I have been doing environmental justice work for almost 15 years with multinational collaboratives Coming Clean and the Environmental Justice Health Alliance (EJHA). Part of our work is focused on preventing and responding to chemical disasters, like the one that recently occurred in Palestine, OH. You will find my recommendations at the end of this email. 

I am sharing some of our work to respond truthfully and transparently to this most recent disaster. You may have noticed representatives from Coming Clean member organizations like EarthJustice and National Resources Defence Council have been in media discussions about the disaster. 

Water companies up and down the Ohio River are repeatedly saying that water is safe from chemicals involved in the disaster and their results do show that. However, again in full transparency, due to a lack of chemical testing at the Federal level, researchers need to learn more about these chemicals to develop accurate tests. Water companies cannot be expected to perform testing when no applicable tests exist. We must pressure the EPA and other decision-makers to supply water companies with the necessary information and tools. 

This Twitter thread from a Coming Clean member and Toxics Advisor to the Sierra Club provides some insight. 

We also need the ability to test chemicals in mixtures reliably. The chemicals from the derailment will mix with other train chemicals and chemicals already present in the environment, even as they move down the Ohio River. Mixtures can have additive (2 +2 + 4) or synergistic (2+2 = 8) effects. We must also determine the potential health impacts we must prepare for and respond to for decades. I will post some links below from the Coming Clean/EJHA collaborative that may help. Please follow us on social media for updates on the investigation and ways to help those impacted. Find our social media accounts at the bottom of our webpage. Please share this email, as it may save lives. 

• Jennifer Sass from the National Resources Defence Council on CNN. 

• The Ohio Derailment Lays Bare the Hellish Plastic Crisis

• Environmental Advocates Call for State of Emergency in Ohio Chemical Disaster

• Derailments May Increase as 'Sun Kinks' Buckle Tracks

• River Valley Organizing - Ohio - ways to help

• EPA chemical review tool sparks environmental justice worries

Dr. Unseld’s recommendations:

• Join and become monthly donors to UJDP and all organizations listed above. Advocate for us to receive other funding sources to continue this life-saving work. 

• Record and track any new symptoms or flare-ups with as much detail as possible, including location, water activities (drinking, showering, washing clothes, gardening)

• If we had better federal testing, this step might become less necessary. 

• Note any potential exposures through air and soil and symptoms.

• If we had better federal testing, this step might become less necessary. 

• Advocate for strengthened and improved Federal chemical testing and improved chemical safety laws. You can learn more at the websites linked above. 

• Read and share these reports with your networks. 

• Endorse and ask decision-makers to use The Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals.