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Public Health and Environmental Emergency Response to the Graniteville, South Carolina Train Disaster

Public Health and Environmental Emergency Response to the Graniteville, South Carolina Train Disaster. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control February 23, 2005. Willie C. Shealey, Graniteville John Laird, North Augusta Rusty Rushton, Warrenville

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Public Health and Environmental Emergency Response to the Graniteville, South Carolina Train Disaster

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  1. Public Health and Environmental Emergency Response to the Graniteville, South Carolina Train Disaster South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control February 23, 2005

  2. Willie C. Shealey, Graniteville John Laird, North Augusta Rusty Rushton, Warrenville Allen Frazier, Ridge Spring Joseph Stone, Quebec Tony DeLoach, Graniteville Christopher Seeling, West Columbia Willie Tyler, Aiken Steven Bagby, Augusta In Memory

  3. Transportation Safety • Transportation of hazardous materials is a national concern • Advocate for improved railway safety • Eliminate “dark track” • Switch and signal technology • Railroad crossing signals and barriers

  4. What Happened? • At 2:39 AM, a 42 car Norfolk and Southern train derailed • A tanker car containing chlorine was punctured, releasing approximately 60 tons of chlorine • The chlorine was released in the immediate vicinity of Avondale Mills, the commercial district, and residential areas of Graniteville SC

  5. After Action Analysis Key Issues • Mobilizing Emergency Response • Environmental Emergency Response • Public Health and Medical Emergency Response • Epidemiology • Research

  6. Mobilizing Emergency Response • Importance of rapid communication among response partners • Getting alerts and information to the public • Critical role of the media in getting information to the public

  7. Environmental Emergency Response • Monitoring equipment must be able to evaluate high level concentrations of hazardous substances • Sufficient personal protective equipment, air supplies and support are needed to sustain long periods of operations

  8. Public Health and Medical Emergency Response • Importance of regional cooperation among states: Georgia public health and medical services were outstanding • Communication • Hospital Bed Capacity website – could be valuable tool if consistently used

  9. Epidemiology • Cross-border partnerships with Georgia Public Health • Symptoms and duration of exposure to proximity to the scene • Model validation of chlorine dispersion based upon both clinical and environmental data

  10. Research • Exploring partnerships with federal partners in long-term assessments of public health • Outreach to local health care providers

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