MILES CITY — After a train hauling coal derailed about 12 miles west of Miles City on Monday, officials have not yet revealed how much, if any, coal was spilled into the river from the derailment. Nevertheless, concerns are arising about the potential environmental impact on the nearby Yellowstone River.

The derailment involved 25 train cars, but, according to BNSF Railway, none went into the river. There were no injuries and the cause is still under investigation.

Kayhan Ostovar, director of the Yellowstone River Research Center and a professor of environmental science at Rocky Mountain College, discussed the dangers of coal spills in aquatic environments.

“A car full of coal is 200,000 pounds. So that's a lot of material, potentially, that's in the river,” Ostovar said. "There's a number of studies that have looked at the effects of unburned coal in rivers and freshwater bodies and marine environments. The main effect is the sediments, so that the dust from that coal into the aquatic system, it can cover organisms. It also can affect their reproduction, their longevity."