NEW YORK — Scientists will be likely monitoring the ecosystem surrounding the areas affected by a massive chemical spill in Ohio for years to come.
The tens of thousands of aquatic life that have died as a result could potentially point to whether ecosystems are safe enough for human activity to persist nearby, experts tell ABC News.
By Feb. 23, the number of animals that had died in and around East Palestine jumped to more than 43,000. This is significant because Ohio uses the fish community as an overall indicator of water quality, Michael Booth, a research professor of fish and aquatic ecology at the University of Cincinnati, told ABC News.
Although none of the aquatic animals that died in a five-mile radius of the derailment site were endangered or at-risk, the number is still significant, Booth said. More than 38,000 minnows and about 5,500 other species, including darter fish, crayfish and amphibians died, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Fish communities get impacted by pollution regularly, Booth said. For example, in small streams in Cincinnati, fish populations can be impacted just by people dumping toxic chemicals down a drain. So monitoring the fish populations, and what they feed on -- whether on bugs or algae -- is an indication of the water quality, Booth said.
There was nothing living on Sulfur Run or Leslie Run, two streams along the Ohio River that had been contaminated as a result of the derailment, when Whelton visited on Feb. 26, he said. At the bottom of the streams, he recorded seeing a type of mud that typically forms in ponds that have no life in them.
Response crews determined that the controlled burn would minimize the risk of an explosion that was likely otherwise, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said on Feb. 14. But what officials did not anticipate was the toxic chemical cloud of particulate material that would be created as a result of the burn, Whelton said.
The agency is currently sampling at 25 surface water locations every day, and visual assessments taken on Monday showed aquatic life, Lee said.
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