RAPID: Elucidating the fate of VOCs and SVOCs in drinking water wells and household water plumbing systems following the East Palestine chemical accident

On February 3rd, 2023, a freight train derailment occurred in East Palestine in the State of Ohio. Following the train derailment, various hazardous chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) such as vinyl chloride (VC) and butyl acrylate (BA), and combustion by-products (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) from a ‘controlled burn’ of the remaining VC and BA in the train cars, were released into nearby soils, sediments, groundwater aquifer, and waterways including the Ohio River which serves as a source of drinking water for more than 5 million people.

Preliminary onsite chemical analyses by the investigators of this project (Purdue Team) showed that a variety of chemicals not tested for potential contamination by the responders were also found in heavily contaminated creeks, which are bordered by about 100 private drinking water wells located within a 2-mile radius of the East Palestine train derailment site. During their onsite inspection of selected East Palestine private wells and household drinking water systems, the Purdue Team also documented the use of well casings and building plumbing systems consisting of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and crosslinked polyethylene (PEX), which are known to permeate and/or accumulate VOCs and/or SVOCs.

This RAPID project will collect and analyze ephemeral water samples from surface water, groundwater, and household drinking water systems with the goal of characterizing and understanding the fate of the released VOCs/SVOCs within the plumbing systems and biofilms that form at the surfaces of HDPE/PEX pipes of household water systems in the East Palestine train derailment site and nearby communities. The successful completion of this project has the potential for transformative impact through the generation of new data and fundamental knowledge to guide and inform the design and implementation of effective remediation solutions for household water systems in the East Palestine train derailment site and nearby communities.

Additional benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of two graduate students at Purdue University.

The formation and growth of biofilms on the surfaces of plastic plumbing materials have a major impact on water quality and safety in drinking water distribution systems. The release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) during the East Palestine train derailment in Ohio provides a unique and time-sensitive opportunity to carry out fundamental investigations of the fate of these contaminants in plastic plumbing materials and the biofilms that form at their surfaces.

This RAPID project will test the hypotheses that 1) that biofilms formed at the surfaces of polyethylene (PE) plumbing pipes in household water systems will sorb (accumulate) SVOCs in contaminated well water while the VOCs will permeate (diffuse) through the biofilms into the underlying PE polymer substrates, 2) contaminant desorption (release) from these biofilms will be slower than that from pristine PE surfaces, and 3) biofilm sloughing could cause acute incidences of high contaminant exposure. The specific objectives of the research are to 1) characterize heavily contaminated samples of creek water at the East Palestine chemical accident site using gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) and proton transfer resonance (PTR)-time of flight (TOF)-MS to identify and select target VOCs/SVOCs for subsequent testing, 2) measure the diffusion (D) and solubility (K) coefficients of the selected VOCs/SVOCs in new/pristine high-density polyethylene (HDPE) resin pellets and pipes, and 3) measure the diffusion (D) and solubility (K) coefficients of the selected VOCs/SVOCs in biofilm-coated HDPE resin pellets and pipes using water from different impacted wells.

The successful completion of this research has the potential for transformative impact through the generation of new data and fundamental knowledge on the fate of VOCs/SVOCs that accumulate in the HDPE plumbing systems and biofilms of household water systems that have been impacted by the East Palestine chemical spill accident. The new data and knowledge generated from this RAPID project could enable affected households to understand the extent of contamination of their water systems and design/implement effective remediation solutions.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.