Characterizing immune perturbations in peripheral blood following East Palestine, Ohio train derailment

Background: The East Palestine, Ohio train derailment on February 3rd, 2023 resulted in the exposure of residents and the surrounding area to numerous hazardous chemicals which included known acute irritants and human carcinogens. Despite evacuation and cleanup, both residents and responders reported high occurrences of symptoms associated with exposure in the months following, such as eye, skin, and respiratory irritation, headaches, and fatigue. The long-term health consequences for residents remain uncertain.
Objective: To assess the potential for immune perturbations resulting from the exposure, we performed a broad investigation of circulating immune cells and mediators from residents of East Palestine, OH 5 months following the derailment.
Methods: We performed exploratory immunophenotyping via flow cytometry and immune mediator profiling via Luminex on peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma collected from 18 participants who resided within an approximately one-mile radius from the derailment. These results were compared to sex and age match controls from an unexposed location.
Results: Immunophenotyping of East Palestine residents revealed decreased overall proportions of T and B lymphocytes and a shift towards memory subsets. Natural killer cell percentages were increased, particularly the cytotoxic CD56dim subset. Cytokine assays demonstrated heightened levels of cytokines and growth factors associated with hematopoietic differentiation and tissue repair.
Significance: Collectively, our observations demonstrate potential immunomodulation indicative of a response to an inflammatory insult within this cohort of exposed participants. This investigation indicates the necessity of expanded retrospective studies to continue immune monitoring of residents for evaluation of long-term health impacts.