The fire that destroyed a plastic recycling warehouse in Richmond, Indiana was not only a disaster that forced thousands to evacuate their homes to avoid the toxic fumes. It could have an impact on the long-term health of families in the area.
During an appearance on the O’Neill Speaks podcast, the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Assistant Professor Marta Venier detailed a number of health issues that could face the residents of Richmond and beyond.
“This was a plastic recycling facility, so there are all kinds of chemicals being released from there,” said Venier, a world-renowned environmental chemist who studies the fate, transport, and behavior of persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, in the indoor and outdoor environment. “When you burn anything, even when you grill, you release polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. And those for sure are going to be in the air in those locations. But then we have plastic involved, and there are a lot of components to plastic. … It’s going to be an interesting soup of chemicals.”
Venier and her team have already deployed air sample collectors to get a better idea for what kinds of chemicals are in the atmosphere and water in Richmond. She’s concerned the disaster could leave a long-lasting imprint on the area.
“I will be concerned about finding dioxins there because those are really toxic,” Venier said. “These chemicals can get absorbed into the soil and be taken up by plants. That will put these chemicals in the food people grow. It’s spring, so people have already started to plant. There can be long-term effects because these chemicals are extremely persistent.”
Long-term health issues associated with the chemicals include cancer, increased obesity, and decreased immune responses, among others. Venier advises people avoid spending too much time outside, and when they do go outside, wear masks.
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