What are the potential health impacts of Columbus' massive scrap fire? Here's what experts said
Smoke and pollution caused by a multi-day scrap fire at Columbus Auto Shredding may have short- and long-term impacts on residents' health, experts told The Dispatch.
Dr. Beatrice Golomb, the head of Golomb Research Group, which has studied Gulf War Syndrome and the East Palestine train derailment, said burning materials from cars and other vehicles could produce toxic substances, including forever chemicals, harmful fumes and polluting particulate matter.
These substances could cause short-term symptoms such as respiratory problems, headaches, flu-like symptoms, dizziness, skin irritation or eye irritation in people close to the fire or vulnerable populations, she said.
"People differ widely in how much they will react to pretty much any chemical exposure," she said.
According to Columbus Division of Fire Battalion Chief Jeffrey Geitter, fire crews tested the air around the site while the fire burned and found no pollutants that would be "immediately dangerous to life and health," but they were not checking the general air quality or pollution levels.
That job fell to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, whose monitors have not detected any chemicals that could cause adverse health effects but have seen changes in air quality following the fire.
More: Doctor finds parallels between East Palestine symptoms, Gulf War illness
Loren Wold, a professor at Ohio State University's Department of Surgery, has studied Gulf War Syndrome and how pollution affects the heart. He said the scrapyard fire would likely result in respiratory symptoms in most people near the site, and could also cause cardiovascular symptoms like high blood pressure or elevated heart rate in vulnerable populations.
What happened at Columbus Auto Shredding?
The fire at Columbus Auto Shredding on Columbus' Southeast Side started early Friday morning and burned until Monday. Old cars, lawnmowers, washing machines and other residential metal items burned in the fire, Geitter said.
"What was burning were things that burn in our community every day. Now, certainly this was a much larger amount and volume of that. So that's what catches the eye," he said. "But we have car fires every day our crews go and put out, if there's a shed fire or something like that, there's a lawnmower in there."
What are the long-term effects of pollutants?
"Sufficient" exposure to harmful pollutants can cause cancer and lung, heart, neurological, reproductive or developmental problems, Golomb said.
Golomb and Wold said it would be difficult to know if residents were exposed to enough pollutants to cause long-term health effects, but short-term symptoms likely occurred.
According to Battalion Chief Geitter, Friday's smoke rose straight up into the atmosphere and was then blown away. If it had been a cold, wet day, the polluted air may have lingered near the ground, which would have changed the fire division's response.
"That's speculative, but I think we would have definitely had to reevaluate those kinds of conversations then," he said.
Friday's atmospheric conditions may have lessened the chance of long-term health impacts in nearby residents, Golomb said.
Even if certain pollutants never reach dangerous levels, that doesn't mean people won't get sick. In East Palestine, Ohio, where a train derailed in January 2023, releasing hazardous materials into the environment, many residents have fallen ill despite assurances from officials that pollution levels were safe, Golomb said.
"It seems to be like a classic reaction to say there's no problem here, and then probably they can go back and get exposed, and then that often leads to regret later," she said. "So, I think it's better to err on the side of caution in these kinds of settings, better to have a little bit more disruption now than a lot of regret later."
What was the air like near the fire?
The job of monitoring pollution from the fire fell to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which has had its Office of Emergency Response at the fire scene since Friday. The agency's monitors have not detected any volatile organic compounds—chemicals that could cause adverse health effects—or any particulate matter from the fire, Ohio EPA Press Secretary Bryant Somerville said.
Still, readings from the EPA's air monitor located at the Jackson Pike Wastewater Treatment Plant show an increase in PM10 and PM2.5 pollutants on Friday. PM10 pollutants are inhalable particles with diameters of 10 micrometers or smaller, while PM2.5 are inhalable particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or smaller.
The day before the fire, the daily mean concentration of PM2.5 particles at Jackson Pike was 6.9 micrograms per cubic meter, and the PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) score was 34, meaning air quality was good. The next day, PM2.5 jumped to 15.9 micrograms per cubic meter, and the AQI score rose to 64, making the air quality moderate with risks to people unusually sensitive to pollution.
PM10's daily mean concentration was 30 micrograms per cubic meter last Thursday, and its Air Quality Index score was 28. On Friday, PM10's daily mean concentration rose to 99 micrograms per cubic meter, and AQI jumped to 73, making the air quality moderate.
In comparison, Canadian wildfire smoke that settled over Columbus in summer 2023 sent the AQI past 150, into levels that are unhealthy for some of the general public.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Auto Shredding fire could harm local health, experts say
