AIKEN - The state health agency that plans to provide free medical screenings to people who were exposed to chlorine in Graniteville has teamed with the University of South Carolina Aiken to reach those affected by the toxic gas.
University students and employees have set up phone lines and are interviewing potential victims from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. each day. The screening takes about five minutes and will help the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control form a registry of patients, said Lauren Eidson, who is working with USC Aiken's Social Sciences and Business Research Lab to reach potential victims.
"It's been six months, and things really need to get started," said Ms. Eidson, who was hired by DHEC.
The agency set aside about $170,000 to orchestrate the medical examinations, which are supposed to start in August. An estimated 60 tons of chlorine gas was released after the Jan. 6 train crash, killing nine people and injuring hundreds more.
DHEC officials have said they're trying to reach people first who live within a half-mile of the crash site. But people who think they were exposed to the gas are invited to call the USC Aiken phone lines, where they'll be asked questions about their health, how much they were exposed to the gas, what symptoms they've experienced and where they lived, Ms. Eidson said.
The USC Aiken team hopes to complete its registry within three to four weeks, at which time DHEC will begin examinations, she said. The agency's health screenings will be conducted by local doctors, who will look for signs of chlorine exposure, such as asthma.
DHEC officials have said they believe some people who should have sought medical treatment haven't, and the screenings are designed to get them proper help.
Chlorine exposure can cause a host of complications, including labored breathing, skin rashes and memory loss. The symptoms can last for several years, and officials have indicated they'd like to continue monitoring victims in years to come.
Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 648-1395, ext. 113, or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com
How to get checked
People who were exposed to chlorine gas after the Graniteville train crash and are interested a medical examination should call the University of South Carolina Aiken at (803) 641-3332 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Students and employees at the school are screening potential victims for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, which plans to provide free examinations in August.
Visit the Graniteville train accident special section
