Differences in MicroRNA Expression in Firefighters Responding to a Train Derailment and Fire in East Palestine, Ohio.

ABSTRACT: Background/Objectives: High-risk, low-frequency incidents such as building collapses and large chemical fires can result in acute, high-dose exposures to toxic agents for first responders and the surrounding community. While these exposures may last for hours to days, their contribution to firefighters' risks for cancer and other diseases is relatively unknown. In February 2023, a freight train transporting chemicals derailed and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio, US. More than 350 firefighters, primarily volunteer, responded to the incident. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated epigenetic markers of toxicity in responding firefighters. We hypothesized that exposures from responding to the train derailment would alter the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) linked to carcinoge

SUBMITTER: Goodrich JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12921792 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature