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Medical Response to a Vinyl Chloride Release From a Train Derailment: New Jersey, 2012

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2017

Alice M. Shumate ,
Jamille Taylor ,
Elizabeth McFarland ,
Christina Tan  and
Mary Anne Duncan
Alice M. Shumate*
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia New Jersey Department of Health, Trenton, New Jersey
Jamille Taylor
Affiliation:
CDC Experience Fellowship, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, Georgia
Elizabeth McFarland
Affiliation:
Inspira Medical Center, Woodbury, New Jersey
Christina Tan
Affiliation:
New Jersey Department of Health, Trenton, New Jersey
Mary Anne Duncan
Affiliation:
Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, Georgia
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Alice M. Shumate, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 315 E. Montgomery Ave, Spokane, WA 99207 (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

Objective

The objective of this investigation was to examine the health impact of and medical response to a mass casualty chemical incident caused by a vinyl chloride release.

Methods

Key staff at area hospitals were interviewed about communication during the response, the number of patients treated and care required, and lessons learned. Clinical information related to the incident and medical history were abstracted from hospital charts.

Results

Hospital interviews identified a desire for more thorough and timely incident-specific information and an under-utilization of regionally available resources. Two hundred fifty-six hospital visits (96.2%) were at the facility closest to the site of the derailment. Of 237 initial visits at which the patient was examined by a physician, 231 patients (97.5%) were treated in the emergency department (ED) and 6 patients (2.5%) were admitted; 5 admitted patients (83.3%) had preexisting medical conditions. Thirteen of 14 asymptomatic ED patients were children under the age of 10 years. One hundred forty-five patients (62.8%) discharged from the ED were diagnosed solely with exposure to vinyl chloride.

Conclusions

Continuous emergency response planning might facilitate communication and better distribution of patient surge across hospitals. Individuals with multiple medical conditions and parents and caretakers of children may serve as target groups for risk communication following acute chemical releases. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:538–544)

Keywords

chemical hazard releasevinyl chlorideemergency responsehospital response
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 11 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 538 - 544
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2017 

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