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  • What’s the difference between short-term and long-term chemical exposure levels?

    Acute or short-term exposure assumes that a person has been exposed to a chemical for a short period of time. Long term, also known as chronic, exposure assumes a person has been constantly exposed to a chemical for a lifetime, or approximately 70 years.

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  • Is our East Palestine City Park safe for activities?

    Yes. Results show that levels of dioxin and semi-volatile organic compounds are well below any levels that we would consider restricting activities, and all are either at or below typical background levels for soil in the United States. In addition, the village has cleaned all recreational equipment, including the pool…

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  • What is being done to control dust?

    Norfolk Southern contractors use engineering controls to reduce dust generated from cleanup activities and disturbed soil surfaces. All contaminated material leaving the derailment site is secured and tarped, and all contaminated material on site is tarped nightly. Trucks are decontaminated before they leave the site, and large water trucks are…

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  • Can MOVES Report Output in Terms of Fuel Consumption?

    See More Frequent Questions about MOVES and Related Models . Although gallons of fuel consumed are not reported by MOVES, the factors used to convert total energy consumption (a MOVES reporting option) to gallons of fuel are contained in the FuelSubtype table (energy content, reported in kilojoules per gram of…

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  • How do I use MOVES at Project Scale?

    See More Frequent Questions about MOVES and Related Models . The MOVES model can estimate emissions at national, county or project scale. Project scale is useful for estimating an individual transportation project like an intersection or transit project, but it requires detailed inputs that describing the vehicle population and activity…

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  • How Can I Determine the Effect of Speed on Vehicle Emissions?

    See More Frequent Questions about MOVES and Related Models . MOVES can be run in either “Inventory” or “Emission Rates” mode. With Emission Rates, MOVES reports emission rates for the 16 average speed bins used by MOVES for each hour of the day and additional emission rate output that may…

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  • Can I grow a garden at home or plant crops?

    Yes. You can continue to use your land as you normally would. Residential soil sampling results are within typical ranges for the area. Follow normal measures like peeling root vegetables and washing leafy greens.

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  • Since asbestos was banned, do I need to be worried about products on the market today containing asbestos?

    On March 28, 2024, EPA issued a final rule prohibiting all ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos, the only form of asbestos still manufactured (including imported), processed and distributed in the U.S. The final rule prohibitions are by specific use and phased-in over a period of months to several years, depending…

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  • What are the terms used to describe the length of exposure to substances?

    Acute exposure is any contact with a substance that occurs once or for up to 14 days. Intermediate exposure is contact occurring for more than 14 days but less than one year. Chronic exposure is contact occurring for longer than one year.

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  • Can smoke from the Canadian wildfires cause health concerns?

    Most healthy adults and children will recover quickly from smoke exposure and will not have long-lasting health effects. But people with chronic diseases, such as asthma, other lung disease, or cardiovascular disease are at greater risk of experiencing more severe health effects. Children, pregnant people, and people over 65 also…

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  • Does MOVES Incorporate Anticipated Improvements in VOC Emission Factors Resulting from Improved Fuel Economy?

    See More Frequent Questions about MOVES and Related Models . Changes in fuel consumption affect VOC emissions by reducing refueling vapor losses and spillage. Other emissions (such as sulfates) are also affected by fuel consumption. MOVES incorporates changes due to fuel economy requirements that were finalized as of the date…

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  • Can I use MOVES to Model Emissions from Vehicles in other Countries?

    See More Frequent Questions about MOVES and Related Models . The MOVES model was designed specifically to model the emissions from vehicles and equipment designed to meet emission standards in the United States. There are considerable challenges to adapting the MOVES framework to other nations, primarily around the need for…

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  • How can I run MOVES3 for the entire U.S or for an entire year?

    See More Frequent Questions about MOVES and Related Models . The most accurate national MOVES runs are done for every county and hour and then averaged together in the output, but, depending on your intended use of the results, it’s also possible to pre-aggregate the MOVES inputs to run the…

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  • Can I plant my vegetable garden and/or farm field?

    There is no reason to believe that the particles in the smoke produced from the train derailment fire contain substances at levels of concern on residential, recreational, or agricultural properties. As an extra step, EPA is directing that soil sampling be conducted in areas most impacted by smoke and particles…

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  • Can we use our football field? What about cross country running?

    In addition to our overall guidance about soil use and safety, part of the soil sampling plan has been targeted toward recreational sites. If any results indicate a concern, the public will be informed. At this point, there are no concerns with outdoor activities or sports, except for inside Sulfur…

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