The University of Kentucky has launched a pilot study looking into the potential health effects of the train derailment in East Palestine.

The University's Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Science (CARES) is funding the study, which involved environmental air testing for 80 participants and fluids testing for a further 20 participants.

The study will be headed up by Dr. Erin Haynes, an environmental epidemiologist who currently serves as the chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University of Kentucky. 

The 80 subjects involved in air quality testing will wear a silicone wristband for 7 days, which will absorb chemicals from the environment as participants go about their normal daily activities. After the period, the wristbands will be collected and tested for exposure to various chemical compounds.

The 20 involved in fluids testing will have their blood and urine collected for testing, which will seek to discover whether chemicals related to the derailment or metabolites from those chemicals can be detected in bodily fluids.

Blood and urine collected from the study will also be analyzed for immune, kidney, and liver function, to see if any chemical exposure may have affected these core areas of bodily function. 

Bodily fluids will be processed by the University of Kentucky, Wayne State University, and the CDC, while the wristbands will be processed by a team at Duke University. 

Results from this study are expected to be tentative, and primarily serve to identify areas where further study may be necessary.