(The following story by Sammy Fretwell appeared on The State website on January 4.)
GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — People who found themselves near a tragic 2005 chemical spill in Graniteville suffered breathing problems long after poisonous chlorine gas dissipated, according to data released Thursday.
Nine months after a train wreck spilled the chlorine, 18 percent of the people screened by health officials showed signs of obstructive lung disease — an amount more than twice the national average, the state health department reported.
Obstructive lung disease indicates such disorders as bronchitis, emphysema and asthma.
“It’s more than what you would expect,’’ USC researcher Erik Svendsen said of the findings.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control’s findings for 2005 are to be updated later this year. This would show whether people in the Graniteville-area of Aiken County still suffer lung ailments.
But the 2005 information — obtained from 259 health screenings — underscores the impact chlorine can have on people’s health well after an accident like the train wreck in Graniteville.
The Jan. 6, 2005 Norfolk Southern crash killed nine people and caused the evacuation of thousands, many of whom later complained of health problems. At the time, the train wreck and chemical spill was the nation’s deadliest in 25 years.
Since the disaster, the state health agency has identified more than 1,300 people as victims of the train wreck, many with lingering breathing and emotional disorders. Of the total victims, 851 received medical attention soon after the wreck, according to DHEC.
Svendsen, a USC health researcher who has coordinated the screening effort, said the chemical leak has taken a physical toll on people.
“It tells us that this community is experiencing pulmonary disease beyond what we would anticipate any South Carolina community would have,” said Svendsen, who also is a DHEC epidemiologist.
Svendsen said all of the breathing disorders in Graniteville can’t be blamed on the wreck, but “the data appear to be suggesting that the chlorine accident had something to do with this.’’ Most people examined suffered some injury, he said.
Attorneys who sued on behalf of residents affected by the spill said they weren’t surprised by DHEC’s findings.
“I would be astounded if the research didn’t show an increase in lung problems,’’ said Hampton County lawyer John Parker. “There’s no way you could be exposed to that chlorine without it doing damage.’’
According to data released through DHEC:
• More than half of the Graniteville residents screened in the fall of 2005 had decreased lung function, a general category for a range of breathing ailments.
• More than one-quarter had some inflammation of their airways.
• Three people who don’t smoke showed signs of emphysema, a disease often triggered by smoking.
• More than one-quarter of those screened had lung disorders and did not realize it.
• Nearly one-third of the residents screened showed signs of asthma-like disease, a statistic that should not surprise chlorine experts, Svendsen said.
Some doctors who testified during the lawsuits that followed the wreck said people likely suffered little health impact if they didn’t seek treatment within days of the spill.
Svendsen said those contentions are not necessarily true.
In addition to breathing ailments, 41 percent of the people DHEC checked had post traumatic stress disorder, an emotional disorder that can linger for years.
Svendsen said people with post-traumatic stress have suffered flashbacks. Some have been so bothered they refused to drive by the site of the wreck. And some who have driven past the site burst into tears, Svendsen said.
“We would have expected this, but not that much,’’ he said.
Phil Napier, Graniteville’s fire chief, said the newly released DHEC data are another painful reminder of the tragedy.
“I see the mills and the trains that go by loaded with chemicals and you can’t help but think about it,’’ he said.
On Sunday, the third anniversary of the disaster, a service is scheduled at a middle school gym just blocks from the derailment site, Napier said.
Napier said DHEC should have released the information sooner so people could have used it in legal cases. Two major class-action lawsuits involving property damage and health impacts from the wreck have been settled.
“The people here who are suffering most have settled with the railroad,’’ he said. “It’s sad it took three years to announce this.’’
The data resulted from health screenings, instead of a specific study, Svendsen said. The screenings are intended to help identify physical problems and get treatment for people living and working within a mile of the crash site near Avondale Mills.
“We remain committed to the people of Graniteville by tracking their health status in the community and its schools,’’ he said.
Eventually, Svendsen said, he hopes to conduct a specific research project on the long-term health effects of the chlorine leak.