RAPID: Monitoring microbial attenuation of toxins released following the East Palestine train derailment in Ohio

RAPID：监测俄亥俄州东巴勒斯坦火车脱轨后释放毒素的微生物衰减

• 批准号: 2325719
• 负责人: Frank Loeffler
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: University of Tennessee Knoxville
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2325719&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Monitoring; microbial; attenuation; toxins

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 butyl acrylate (BA), vinyl chloride (VC), 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 a source of drinking water for more than 5 million people. As of May 29, 2023, EPA and Norfolk Southern continue to 1) conduct air monitoring onsite and in the surrounding communities and 2) clean up the derailment site by excavating/disposing of contaminated soils and collecting/removing contaminated wastewater. This RAPID project will test the hypothesis that in contaminant-impacted areas, microbial communities will show measurable responses to the release of toxins, and that these responses could inform about contaminant degradation/detoxification processes and natural attenuation potential. To test this hypothesis, the Principal Investigator (PI) and co-investigators from the University of Tennessee (UT) Knoxville and the environmental consulting company Microbial Insights in Knoxville (TN) will collect and test soil, sediment, and groundwater samples from impacted areas and those not impacted by pollutants released during the East Palestine accident. Specifically, the project team proposes to combine measurements of biomarkers with complementary cultivation-based efforts of microorganisms that are known to degrade the classes/types of chemical pollutants that were released following the East Palestine train derailment. The successful completion of this project has the potential for transformative impact through the generation of fundamental knowledge to guide and inform the design and implementation of effective pollutant remediation solutions at the East Palestine derailment site and in nearby communities. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of one graduate student and three undergraduate students at UT Knoxville. Following the East Palestine train derailment, various hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, other volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), etc. were released into nearby soils, sediments, groundwater aquifer, and waterways including the Ohio River. However, to date, there has been limited fundamental investigations of the fate and transformations of the hazardous chemicals that were released into the environment three months after the East Palestine accident. The overarching goal of this RAPID project is to establish that microbial communities in impacted areas will show measurable responses, and that these responses could inform about contaminant degradation/detoxification processes and natural attenuation potential at the East Palestine accident site and in nearby soils, sediments, groundwater aquifer, and waterways. The specific objectives of the research are to 1) carry out time-series sampling of soils, sediments, and groundwater in impacted and non-impacted (background) areas, 2) conduct quantitative tracking of contaminant-degrading microorganisms, their dynamics, and their activities in response to the contamination, 3) design and conduct a targeted microcosm treatability study that demonstrates degradation of contaminants by indigenous microorganisms, and 4) synthesize the collected information and research findings to guide and inform the design of a site-specific monitoring program. The successful completion of the proposed research has the potential for transformative impact through the generation of new data and fundamental knowledge to guide the design and implementation of site-tailored monitoring protocols that could comprehensively assess the natural attenuation and contaminant degradation/detoxification potentials of indigenous microbiomes at the East Palestine site and in nearby communities.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.

2023年2月3日，俄亥俄州的东巴勒斯坦发生了货运火车出轨。 Following the train derailment, various hazardous chemicals, including butyl acrylic (BA), vinyl chloride (VC), and mixture by-products (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) from a ‘controlled burn’ of the remaining VC and BA in the train cars, were released into near soils, sediments, groundwater aquifer, and waterways including the Ohio River which serves a source of drinking water for超过500万人。截至2023年5月29日，EPA和Norfolk Southern继续进行1）进行空气监测现场和周围的社区，以及2）通过挖掘/处置受污染的土壤并收集/去除/去除受污染的废水来清理出轨地点。这个快速的项目将检验以下假设：在受污染物的区域，微生物群落将显示对毒素释放的可衡量反应，并且这些反应可以告知污染物降解/解毒过程和自然衰减潜力。为了检验这一假设，田纳西大学（UT）诺克斯维尔大学（UT）的主要研究者（PI）和共同研究人员以及诺克斯维尔（TN）的环境咨询公司的微生物洞察力将收集和测试土壤，沉积物，沉积物和受影响地区的地下水样本，以及未受到东方帕莱斯坦（East Palestine）在东帕莱斯坦（East Palelestine）期间释放的疾病中未释放的那些。具体而言，项目团队的建议将生物标志物的测量结果与微生物的完全基于培养的努力相结合，这些努力旨在降低东巴勒斯坦火车出轨后发行的化学污染物的类别/类型。该项目的成功完成，通过产生基本知识来指导和实施有效的污染物修复解决方案，在东巴勒斯坦出轨地点和附近社区的设计和实施。将通过学生的教育和培训来实现社会的其他好处，包括在UT诺克斯维尔的一名研究生和三名本科生的心理。在东巴勒斯坦火车出轨之后，包括氯化乙烯基，丁基丙烯酸，其他挥发性和半频繁有机化合物（VOC和SVOCS），以及多环状芳香族烃（PAHS）等各种危险化学物质被释放到附近的土壤，沉积物，地下水，以及河流，包括Ohio。但是，迄今为止，对东巴勒斯坦事故三个月后释放到环境的命运和转变的基本调查有限。这个快速项目的总体目标是确定受影响区域中的微生物群落将显示可衡量的反应，并且这些反应可以告知东巴勒斯坦事故现场以及近土壤，沉积物，地下水，地下水含水层和水路的污染物降解/排毒过程和自然衰减潜力。研究的具体目的是1）在受影响和未影响的（背景）区域对土壤，沉积物和地下水进行的时间序列取样，2）进行定量跟踪污染物降解的微生物，动态，其动态及其对污染物的活动的动态及其对污染物的活动，3）设计和进行构成的微角度研究，以证明其构成的微角色，以证明其构成的微量学分，以证明其构成的构成微生物的研究，以表明其构成的微量疾病。微生物和4）合成收集的信息和研究发现，以指导和告知特定地点监测计划的设计。拟议的研究的成功完成，通过产生新的数据和基本知识，可以指导现场监测协议的设计和实施，从而可以全面地评估近似于East Palestine and Crosess and Sater dectore dectuts n s n s n s n s n s.基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。