WVU in the News: Is West Virginia’s air and water at risk due to Ohio train derailment?

Following a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio nearly two weeks ago, West Virginians are wondering if they should be concerned about the toxic chemicals it was carrying. Mike McCawley, clinical associate professor with the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health was interviewed as an expert on how airborne chemicals impact public health. 

McCawley worked at U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for nearly 30 years as an industrial hygenist, where he designed and implemented health assessment plans for disasters like the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980 and the Kuwait oil fires of 1991.

Read the full story, which includes an audio excerpt from Dr. McCawley (scroll down) from WBOY.