"Is Coal Dust Risky? Scientists Are Looking Into It"

"Coal has been transported around the country by rail for decades. But very little research has been done on what coal does to the environment when it escapes from trains.With two large coal export terminals proposed for Washington state, one federal agency is hoping to add good science to the debate over coal in the Northwest."

"'I’m pulling a two person inflatable kayak that I expect weighs about 80 pounds by itself, and then there’s gear in it, and I’m old,' Bob Black said.

Black is the lead researcher on a new study being done by the US Geological Survey. The USGS is wading into the controversy over coal trains and coal terminals in the Northwest.

Black and his team are gathering samples from this stretch of marsh, sandwiched between the Columbia and train tracks, just across the river from Portland."

Ashley Ahearn reports for Northwest Public Radio/EarthFix September 17, 2014.