AIKEN - At least four deaths have been investigated for possible links to chlorine exposure since the Jan. 6 train collision that sent clouds of the toxic gas across Graniteville.

Each of the men who died reportedly came in contact with the fumes that seeped out of a ruptured tanker early that morning. In all, an estimated 60 tons leaked from the hull, killing nine people and injuring hundreds more in the hours that followed.

Dexter Hill, 39, of Connector Road, who died Jan. 9, was the first survivor of the initial leak whose death was investigated, according to records from the Aiken County Coroner's Office.

Investigations showed that all nine people who perished on the morning of the accident died of chlorine inhalation.

Mr. Hill was among more than 5,000 residents evacuated from their homes, his wife, Carolyn Hill, said Wednesday. Just days after leaving his home, on the night before his death, he complained of a headache and took Advil, a coroner's report shows.

Mrs. Hill found him motionless the next morning, and he was pronounced dead at Aiken Regional Medical Centers.

Mrs. Hill said her husband complained of respiratory problems after the crash. But she also told investigators that her husband had used drugs in the "1980s and early 1990s" and had a history of Bell's palsy, a nonfatal condition that can cause facial muscles to weaken or become paralyzed, records show.

Mr. Hill's body was sent to Newberry for an autopsy, which determined that he died of cardiac arrhythmia and not chlorine exposure.

Leonard Mathis, 51, of Mount Arthur Drive in Graniteville, spent eight days at University Hospital after the collision, including six in the intensive care unit, his attorney, Reginald Simmons, told investigators at the time of his client's death.

Mr. Mathis struggled with breathing after being exposed to the gas and relied on an oxygen tank, Mr. Simmons said Wednesday.

On April 15, Mr. Mathis was readmitted to University Hospital, where he died four days later. An autopsy found that his death was caused by respiratory failure, records show.

But Mr. Simmons, whom Mr. Mathis hired before his death, believes chlorine was a contributing factor and plans to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the Norfolk Southern railroad, which owned both trains involved in the accident.

"All the respiratory stuff, he didn't have until after the accident," Mr. Simmons said. "I don't think we'll have any problem bringing on board a credible expert to confirm the connection."

The coroner's office has yet to release records on the deaths of Moses Brown and Roderick McClain, which are still being investigated.

Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton said Mr. Brown, 70, refused to leave his Church Street house the day of the accident. On Jan. 7, he called 911, said he couldn't breathe and was taken to Aiken Regional Medical Centers, where he stayed for two days.

He eventually returned home but complained of dizziness and not being able to catch his breath, complaints that led to another Aiken Regional visit on Easter Sunday, Mr. Carlton said. On April 6, Mr. Brown died.

His body was buried before an autopsy could be performed, but because of Mr. Brown's history of heart problems, authorities say they doubt chlorine contributed to the death. The case will be closed once authorities obtain his previous medical records.

"I think we can definitely say that his death was caused by other health issues not related to chlorine exposure," Mr. Carlton said.

Family members aren't so sure.

"Ever since that happened, he hadn't been too well," said his wife, Marnivia Brown. "He got weak. He couldn't eat that well."

The coroner's office is still waiting on results from an autopsy of Mr. McClain, but authorities point out that he, too, had had health problems, including heart failure and emphysema.

Mr. McClain was evacuated from his Jasmine Drive home on the day of the accident, Mr. Carlton said. Family members told authorities that he liked to take morning walks about 6 a.m. and might have been directly exposed to the gas.

The night he was evacuated, he complained to his wife about feeling bad and said he couldn't catch his breath, Mr. Carlton said. He later developed blisters on the inside of his mouth and complained of pain inside of his nose, family members told Mr. Carlton.

Mr. McClain became weak, coughed a lot and complained of blackouts, family members reported. On Jan. 17, he was taken to Aiken Regional, where he stayed until March 8, when he was transferred to University Hospital's pulmonary rehab unit.

The next day, he was taken to the hospital's ICU. He stayed there until his death June 9.

Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 648-1395, ext. 113, or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com.

Special Section: Graniteville Train Wreck

On January 6, 2005, a Norfolk Southern Corp. freight train carrying chemicals hit a parked train near an Avondale Mills plant in Graniteville, South Carolina. The impact caused poisonous chlorine gas to leak from three of the moving train's cars. Nine people were killed and more than 5,000 people were evacuated from the site.

For complete coverage of the Graniteville train wreck, visit our special section.