Health department: Glendora's water not contaminated with benzene after train derailment

The Mississippi State Department of Health has concluded sampling and found that the water system in the village of Glendora is not contaminated after a train car carrying benzene derailed last weekend.

A blaze broke out when the Canadian National Railway train derailed on July 5. An aerial photo of the crash provided by law enforcement showed the train’s cars scattered and some of them on fire near a waterway in Tallahatchie County.

In the days after the crash, state health department officials collected samples from the Glendora water supply to test for potential impacts from the derailment and spillage of freight. Specifically, one of the cars was carrying benzene — a hazardous compound used in coal and consumer products, among other items. If ingested, benzene can cause symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, and even death if high levels are present.

Canadian National also collected samples, with both the state health department and the transportation company finding “no benzene impacts to the Glendora public water supply,” according to a Friday announcement.

“The MSDH samples were analyzed by the Mississippi Public Health Laboratory, and the CN samples were analyzed by a third-party certified laboratory,” a portion of the announcement reads. “The results of those analyses confirm no benzene impacts to the Glendora public water supply.”

Even with the lab results showing no detectable levels of benzene present, the Mississippi State Department of Health said it will increase how often it monitors for benzene in Glendora’s water. It will begin checking once a year, rather than every six years.

“Out of an abundance of caution, and in an effort to ensure public health protection, the MSDH Bureau will temporarily increase the benzene monitoring frequency for Glendora from once every six years to annually,” the announcement continued. “If no detectable results for benzene are shown for three consecutive years, the sampling frequency will return to the regulatory standard of every six years.”

Less than 200 people live in Glendora, the site of one of three train crashes in the span of three days. On July 5, a train carrying cooking oil derailed in Petal. On July 6, another derailed north of Sardis in Panola County.

No major injuries were reported in any of the incidents. All three crashes remain under investigation.