The water system in the small Mississippi Delta community of Glendora is not contaminated after part of a train carrying benzene derailed and caught fire last weekend, the Mississippi State Department of Health said Friday.

The Health Department said that it and the train’s owner, CN Railroad, collected and tested samples of Glendora’s water supply. The department used its own public health laboratory, and CN used a third-party, certified lab.

“The results of those analyses confirm no benzene impacts to the Glendora public water supply,” the Health Department said.

However, the department said it will increase how often it monitors for benzene in Glendora’s water, checking once a year rather than once every six years. 

“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,” the department said.

One of the train cars that derailed Saturday contained benzene, a hazardous chemical compound used in products including detergents and plastics. Symptoms of benzene poisoning include drowsiness, fast or irregular heartbeat, tremors and headaches. Glendora residents had to evacuate temporarily as fire trucks put out the blaze and responded to the crash. 

Mayor Johnny B. Thomas spoke to Mississippi Today and criticized officials’ response to the derailment. Two village residents said that they and their children had headaches, stomach aches, drowsiness and other symptoms. 

The state Health Department said that it, the state Department of Environmental Quality, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, CN Railroad and the National Transportation Safety Board are still monitoring the derailment site.