Implications To Public Health Factors Associated with Injuries Injuries Caused by Chemical Incidents in North Carolina, 2010─2014 Introduction National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP) Monitors toxic substance releases by gathering information from different resources Only federal program tracking acute chemical incidents in communities North Carolina has participated in NTSIP since 2010 NC NTSIP is used as a surveillance system to monitor state toxic releases Focuses solely on the public health impacts of toxic substance releases Criteria are established by ATSDR for surveillance eligibility (i.e. only acute releases, substance quantity released and any public health action taken) Suze Etienne, MPH, CPH Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch Severity of Injuries Severity Counts % Treated at Hospital (not admitted) 232 54% Treated on Scene 78 18% Treated at Hospital (admitted) 55 13% Observed-no treatment 53 12% Adverse health effects in 24 hours 9 2% Seen by private physicians w/24 hours 5 1% Age Category Severity Category Count % Child (0-18) 53 12% Adult (18+) 385 88% Total 438 100% Methods Event Victim and Chemical data are used to investigate types of injuries, severity and factors associated with these incidents. NTSIP defines a victim as anyone who experiences at least one documented adverse effect within 24 hours after an incident or who dies as a consequence of an incident. Seven injuries or less may be recorded for each victim. Data Sources North Carolina Emergency Management National Response Center U.S. Department of Transportation Carolina’s Poison Center Media Chemical Incident Apex, NC October 20006 EQ Hazardous Waste Plant in Apex after explosion and fire destroyed the facility (Photo by WRAL) Results Type of Injuries Number of Injuries % Respiratory System Problems 175 24% Headache 114 7% Dizziness/CNS Symptoms 101 16% Gastrointestinal Problems 99 13.5% Heart Problems 53 2% Trauma 48 Burns 44 6% Eye Irritation 29 45% Other 4% Skin Irritation 18 14% Shortness of Breath Heat Stress 4 0.5% Total 732 100% Implications To Public Health Identification of most commonly released chemicals and sources of incidents for planning purposes Association between incidents and injuries Opportunity to inform decision makers Prevention of chemical incidents and reduction of injuries Factors Associated with Injuries Secondary Equipment Failure Human Error No Secondary Illegal Activities Total % Primary Equipment Failure 5 22 27 26% Human Error 4 2 65 71 70% Other 1 3 4% 9 90 102 100% 9% 3% 88% 0% Conclusions Toxic substance releases are preventable Preventive measures should be taken to educate employers of toxic industries Employers should conduct regular maintenance and train their employees properly to avoid injuries