- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest
- 'Safe' Ozone Levels May Not Be for Some
- New Spray Could Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Patients
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Indian Spice May Thwart Liver Damage
- Garlic Yields Up Its Health Secret
- Meditation, Yoga Might Switch Off Stress Genes
- ANIMAL CARE
- Beware of Dog Bites
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- BONES & JOINTS
- Tequila Plant May Help Fight Bone Loss
- Yoga Can Ease Lower Back Pain
- High Birth Weight Doubles Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis
- CANCER
- Drinking Green Tea May Slow Prostate Cancer
- Occaisonal Dieting May Cut Breast Cancer, Study Says
- Adding Garlic Might Cut Cancer Risk
- CAREGIVING
- Medication Errors Could Be Cut: Experts
- Transition From Home to Hospital Rarely Seamless
- Tiniest Babies Carry Biggest Costs
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Anemia Rates Down for U.S. Women and Children
- Bad Marriages Harder on Women's Health
- High Blood Fat Levels Common in Americans
- COSMETIC
- Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Good Oral Hygiene May Protect Against Heart Infections
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- Periodontal Disease Impacts Whole Health
- DIABETES
- 24 Million Americans Had Diabetes in 2007
- Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Updated
- Laughter May Lower Heart Attack Risk in Diabetics
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
- Compound in Berries May Lessen Sun Damage
- The High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) Debate
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Artificial Light Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk
- Controversial Chemical Lingers Longer in the Body
- Fish in U.S. Rivers Tainted With Common Medications
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Just Like Skin, Eyes Can 'Burn' in Strong Sun
- Blood Sugar Control Helps Diabetics Preserve Sight
- Kids Think Glasses Make Others Look Smart, Honest
- FITNESS
- Marathoners Go the Distance on Heart Health
- Any Exercise Good After a Heart Attack
- Maximize Your Run
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Eating Lots Of Vegetables, Olive Oil May Extend Life
- Asparagus May Ease Hangover
- Research Shows Genetic Activity of Antioxidants
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Rheumatoid Arthritis a Threat to the Heart
- Walk Long, Slow and Often to Help the Heart
- Whole Grains Lower Risk of Heart Failure
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Chinese 'Devil Dung' Plant Could Be a Swine Flu Fighter
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu
- KID'S HEALTH
- Wood Fires Can Harm the Youngest Lungs
- 3 Home Habits Help Youngsters Stay Slim
- Meaningful Conversations Boost Kids' Language Skills
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study Shows
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Drink Away Dementia?
- Love Hormone May Ease Discussion of Painful Topics
- Meditation May Boost College Students' Learning
- PREGNANCY
- Acupuncture May Relieve Acid Indigestation In Pregnancy
- Prenatal Stress May Boost Baby's Asthma Risk
- Exercise Boosts Bone Density in Breast-Feeding Moms
- SENIORS
- Friends, Not Grandkids, Key to Happy Retirement
- Community Exercise Programs Boost Seniors' Strength
- Any Old Cane Won't Do
Preparing for a Chlorine Gas Disaster
By eHolistic.com Published: 01/07/2009
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- On a January night in 2005, a freight train with three tanker cars -- each loaded with 90 tons of chlorine -- slammed into a parked locomotive in the center of Graniteville, S.C., a town of 7,000 people about 15 miles from Augusta, Ga.
One tank ruptured during the 2 a.m. collision, releasing between 42 tons and 60 tons of chlorine gas that seeped into a nearby textile mill, where 180 people were working the overnight shift.
Eight people died at the accident scene, at least 525 people were treated in emergency rooms, and 71 people were admitted to nine hospitals in South Carolina and Georgia.
A new study examining the lingering effects of the disaster should serve as a blueprint for larger metropolitan areas looking to prepare for an accidental or terrorist release of the potentially deadly gas, the researchers said.
"This is one of the largest community exposures to chlorine gas since World War I," study lead author David Van Sickle, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at the University of Wisconsin, said in a news release issued by The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, which published the report in its January issue.
"It was a tragic disaster that shows us what a significant challenge a large-scale chlorine gas release poses to health-care facilities," he said.
Hospitals need to be able to quickly recognize the signs of chlorine exposure and have enough mechanical ventilators on hand, he added.
Van Sickle was part of a team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) that studied the accident's resulting health effects.
Chlorine gas is an irritating, fast-acting and potentially deadly inhalant. It's also one of the most widely used toxic chemicals -- water treatment and industrial manufacturing are examples of such use. Much of the 13 million to 14 million tons produced in the United States each year is transported by rail, often through populated areas, the news release said.
New U.S. regulations governing the transportation of rail cargo aim to prevent a similar disaster in a major metropolitan area. And, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has identified a deliberate attack on a chlorine storage tank as a top concern. According to agency estimates, as many as 100,000 people would be hospitalized and 10,000 would die if a chlorine storage tank was attacked in an urban area, according to the release.
Van Sickle and his colleagues tried to learn as much as they could about the health effects from widespread exposure to chlorine gas.
According to the report, many people who were hospitalized showed signs of severe lung damage. More than a third were admitted to intensive care, and 10 percent required mechanical ventilation. Despite their injuries, most recovered quickly and were discharged within a week, according to the release.
"Public health agencies and hospitals across the country can learn a lot from this disaster and be better prepared to help in the next emergency," Dr. James J. Gibson, state epidemiologist and director of the Bureau of Disease Control at the South Carolina DHEC and a co-author of the report, said in the news release. "We continue to monitor area residents for any possible long-term health effects."
More information
To learn more about chlorine, visit the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
-- HealthDay staff
SOURCE: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, news release, January 2009
Last Updated: Jan. 08, 2009
Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
More articles at www.eholistic.com
