"Internal agency communications confirm certain EPA experts, including a "key dioxin scientist," were not consulted until a month after the derailment."

"The Environmental Protection Agency waited a month to consult some of its top experts about the risk of dangerous chemical exposure around East Palestine, Ohio, following the fiery derailment of a Norfolk Southern train hauling toxic materials, internal emails show.

That delay left at least two EPA scientists surprised and concerned. And it occurred while the agency was deferring to the railroad giant and its web of contractors to spearhead environmental testing, including crafting protocols for sampling soil, water and air for chemicals — a move many saw as a glaring conflict of interest.

HuffPost obtained internal agency communications via a Freedom of Information Act request. Paul Van Osdol, a reporter at WTAE TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, first reported some of the documents.

The Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine on Feb. 3 while hauling toxic and flammable materials, including hundreds of thousands of pounds of vinyl chloride, a common organic chemical used in the production of plastics and that’s been linked to several types of cancer."

Chris D'Angelo and Jimmy Tobias report for HuffPost September 15, 2023. [2]