The derailment of a freight train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio, last year was an environmental disaster.

A new analysis of pollution and precipitation data has found that snow and rain samples collected from the Midwest to Maine and North Carolina after the crash contained high levels of pollutants, including the extremely toxic vinyl chloride, released during a controlled burn to prevent a potential explosion, reported The Guardian.

In all, at least 16 states and southern Canada were affected over an area of 1.4 million square kilometers, AFP reported.

“On 3 February 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailment occurred in East Palestine, Ohio. The accident and subsequent fire resulted in the emissions of large amounts of hazardous compounds to the ambient atmosphere over many days,” the study said. “About 50 train cars were involved in the accident, of which 38 derailed and at least 11 cars were carrying a variety of hazardous materials… The cargo carried by the involved railroad cars included several volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including vinyl chloride, 2-butoxyethanol, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, etc.”

The precipitation samples were collected from 260 sites around the country as part of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP).

Finding high levels of toxic pollutants across such a large area was “very surprising” to the researchers, who had expected to find evidence of the fires from the crash 50 miles away, said lead author of the study David Gay, a researcher at University of Wisconsin and coordinator of NADP, as reported by The Guardian.

“We saw the chemical signal from this fire at a lot of sites and far away,” Gay said. “There was more than we ever would have guessed.”

The smell of chemicals lingered in the town of approximately 4,700 for weeks after the derailment.

Gay said fires burning so long after the crash, as well as the vinyl chloride being so hot and concentrated — which resulted in a tall plume reaching into the strong winds of the planet’s free troposphere — caused the extensive spread of chemical pollution.

“Our measurements not only show the expected high chloride concentrations, but also the vast geographical area they covered,” Gay said, as AFP reported. “However, even more surprising are the unexpectedly high pH levels (more basic) and exceptionally elevated alkali and alkaline earth metals, exceeding the 99th percentiles of the last ten years of measurements. All of these pollutants are important in the environment because their accumulation has an impact on the Earth’s aquatic and terrestrial environments in many ways.”

Gay pointed out that the “exceptionally high” pH levels were found as far afield of the crash as northern Maine, reported The Guardian. Gay said the cargo on the train — including cotton balls, semolina and frozen vegetables — probably contributed to elevated pH levels because large volumes of potassium, calcium and magnesium were released. Firefighting foam used at the site could also have contributed calcium to the high pH.

During the burn a low pressure system moved in across the region, pushing the pollution through Michigan and into Wisconsin. Gay said it was likely that all of the Great Lakes other than Lake Superior were affected.

Chemical pollution levels were elevated for two weeks after the fires, then dropped off the third week.

Gay said this was “further evidence that it’s from the train wreck,” The Guardian reported.

“This study demonstrates the important role of a nationwide network for routine precipitation monitoring,” Gay emphasized, as reported by AFP. “Our observations allowed us to determine the regional atmospheric impact from the accident and subsequent response activities.”

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