People in Connecticut are reporting an ashlike substance covering vehicles, but state environmental officials say there’s no evidence it’s related to the Ohio train derailment and subsequent burning of hazardous chemicals.
“We are aware of local reports from this morning regarding ‘sooty’ matter on parked cars and have not been able to determine any singular source,” the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said in a statement issued Friday.
Officials say they can’t determine any singular source that would cause the sooty substance — such as a forest fire, power plant or transportation-related emissions.
Officials say air flows have been following the Interstate 95 corridor, northeasterly into Connecticut.
DEEP had forecasted "good" air quality Friday with respect to fine particulate matter. Air quality monitors across the Northeast — from Washington, D.C., to New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts — were showing moderate levels of fine particulate matter as of Friday morning. But a cold front and rainfall should bring those levels back to "good" by late Friday afternoon, DEEP officials said.
There have been concerns in Ohio about air quality after a train hauling chemicals derailed in early February and sent up a toxic plume near the Pennsylvania state line. Since the derailment, residents in Ohio have complained about headaches and irritated eyes and finding their cars and lawns covered in soot.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
