U.S. Environment Agency Conducts Internal Investigation into Ohio Train Crash | Ohio Train Derailment

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Internal Oversight Division has launched an investigation into the handling of the East Palestinian train crash that caused a toxic disaster in a small town in Ohio.

An agency spokesperson declined to comment on why the investigation was launched, but a public memo from the EPA’s Office of the Inspector General said it “conducted interviews, collected data, conducted hazardous waste disposal, It is described as “analyzing a variety of problems such as air pollution, air pollution, water monitoring, soil and sediment sampling, and risk communication”.

The agency’s response to the train accident has been heavily criticized by townspeople and public health advocates, with the toxic chemicals released from the train and the controlled burning of vinyl chloride in the days following the accident. They claim that they were unable to fully protect Palestine.

Critics say the Joe Biden administration wasn’t careful enough in its approach or taking strong enough action against Norfolk Southern, the railroad company behind the disaster. Much of the outrage over the management of the ship’s aftermath has been directed at the EPA, with right-wing pundits and politicians politicized and racialized Controversy.

Public health advocates applauded the announcement of the inspector general’s involvement and said the investigation was “justified,” said Kayla Ann, a former EPA scientist now affiliated with the nonprofit Environmentally Responsible Civil Service. Bennett said.

“There are too many unanswered questions and conflicting information,” she said. “IG can figure out how the decision to conduct the test was made and whether it was good enough.”

The EPA inspector general issued a report critical of government agencies For what has proven to be a mishandling of recent controversy.

Chemical pollution experts and the public have consistently questioned whether the EPA has taken a sufficiently robust approach to testing water, soil, and air over days and weeks after shipwrecks and controlled burns. I have been questioning.

Residents said they were concerned that days after the burns, the EPA said it was safe to go home immediately. Many people have asked about indoor air quality in particular, and have received conflicting messages from state and federal officials about how to protect themselves.

Skip past newsletter promotions

After newsletter promotion

Meanwhile, contractors Norfolk Southern hired to test indoor air quality have ties to the industry, and residents told The Guardian they trust the results because the tests were not conducted by an independent agency. I said no.

“It’s never a good idea to put foxes in charge of chicken coops,” Bennett said.

Controlled combustion could have produced dangerous compounds such as dioxins and chlorinated PAHs. Long-term health threat Eastern Palestinian area and downwind. For weeks, the EPA resisted a chorus of calls from chemical pollution experts and residents to test dangerous compounds.

First sampling after EPA agreed to require Norfolk Southern to test for dioxins found Eastern Palestinian soils contain levels hundreds of times higher than the exposure threshold set by EPA scientists in 2010 Poses found risk cancer.

Still, EPA leaders have told Congress that dioxin levels are “very low,” and the EPA has taken no further action. It remains unclear whether environmental authorities have ever tested for chlorinated PAHs or PFASs.

EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Residents of East Palestine still say they have rashes and inflamed lungs, says Amanda Kiger, director Ohio River Valley Organizing has been advocating for local residents. Frustration is also directed at the Environment Agency in Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s administration, she added.

Residents say the financial support provided by Norfolk Southern is not enough and the federal government should either provide more relief or force the railroad company to invest more in support.

“They’re not doing their job. Everyone knows that,” Kiger said. “For lack of a better term, it’s all clusterfuck, but I hope it’s a good investigation and thorough.”