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EPA, Norfolk Southern Manipulated East Palestine Soil Testing Data, Report Says
A new report alleges that soil samples following the 2023 fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio were manipulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Norfolk Southern. The whistleblower group Government Accountability Project uncovered a letter they say allegedly proves negligence in testing for contaminated soil at the site of the crash.
According to the document, Norfolk Southern’s contractor published a plan, but the EPA then updated that plan the next day, directing that additional samples be taken in more heavily impacted locations. This letter goes hand in hand with two other whistleblowers whose claims say that environmental testing wasn’t conducted properly.
According to the whistleblowers, the key flaw was that baseline samples were inappropriately collected based on likely wind directions near the time of the burn of chemicals like vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate. They say this compromised the entire sampling plan. Those whistleblowers also believe that officials who tested intentionally avoided testing in areas to show dioxin contamination.
East Palestine and Norfolk Southern previously agreed to a $22 million settlement earlier this year. It’s unknown if anything will come from the alleged claims of wrong soil sampling.
Digging In: Why a West Virginia Factory’s Pollution Could Trouble Louisville’s Drinking Water
Louisville Public Media reported:
About 400 miles upstream from Louisville, the Chemours Co.’s Washington Works operation has been releasing higher-than-permitted amounts of a forever chemical into the Ohio River. In recent court filings, Louisville Water Co. — the utility that processes river water into drinking water for Jefferson and surrounding counties — linked a local spike in PFAS pollution last December to the West Virginia factory, while Chemours disputed the correlation.
Research shows exposure to some PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, nicknamed forever chemicals because they’re almost indestructible — can heighten serious health risks. The currently Chemours, but formerly DuPont, Washington Works facility previously used a chemical called C8 [also called PFOA], which is a type of PFAS that resists heat, water, oil and grease. And it’s used to produce common everyday items, like non-stick pots and pans.
And so basically, in the 1980s, the company discovered that chemical was leaching into the ground underneath the plant, and it was also seeping into the drinking water sources in those surrounding communities. They started dumping that chemical into a new landfill near the base of Dry Run Creek. Cows owned by a local farmer, [Wilbur] Earl Tennant, started dying downstream of that landfill.
New Research Finds Sky-High Insecticide Levels in Colorado Water
Adding to evidence about the pervasiveness of pesticides that endanger human and environmental health, new research has found widely used insecticides in Colorado waterways at levels 100 times higher than what researchers say is needed to protect aquatic life.
Neonicotinoids (neonics), the most widely used types of insecticides in the nation, were present at sky-high levels in both surface and groundwater samples, according to a report published this week by the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council. The analysis, which relied on federal and state water testing data, concluded that agricultural seeds coated in neonics are likely to blame for the heavily contaminated water.
This contamination “is likely causing significant and widespread damage to aquatic ecosystems and an increase in human exposure from groundwater,” the report states.
The author used the federal benchmark for one neonic, imidacloprid, to derive benchmarks for how chronic exposure to other neonics affects aquatic life, according to the report. Some levels detected in the water samples surpassed federal regulators’ worst-case scenario estimates for how much of two neonics, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, may be present in Colorado groundwater.
“The contamination levels in Colorado are alarming, but not surprising,” said Pierre Mineau, author of the report and a professor at Carleton University in Canada who has studied the environmental risk of pesticides for over 40 years. “The US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) isn’t doing enough to protect water and ecosystems from these harmful chemicals,” he said.
Florida and Oregon Lawmakers Demand FDA Investigate Microplastic Health Risks
With growing alarm over microplastics infiltrating our food and water, Representatives Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) have introduced crucial bipartisan legislation demanding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally study the health impacts of these pervasive particles. This comes amidst rising concerns, particularly in coastal communities, linking microplastic exposure to serious chronic illnesses.
“For years, the federal government buried its head in the sand while microplastics infected our water and food supply,” stated Rep. Steube. He highlighted specific Florida counties — Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota — flagged as high-risk areas with “alarming rates of chronic illness and disease,” criticizing the FDA’s current stance of “not to worry.” Steube emphasized, “Americans deserve to know what they’re being exposed to, how it’s affecting their health, and what Washington plans to do about it.”
Echoing this urgency, Rep. Bynum asserted, “We can’t take a wait-and-see approach here — it’s time to be proactive. We’ve got to get a handle on how microplastics are getting in our food, beverages, and everyday items, and figure out how they’re affecting our health.” She stressed her commitment to data-driven solutions, partnering with Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who have introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
Senator Scott, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, voiced deep concern for vulnerable groups like youth and aging Americans, noting microplastics’ presence “throughout the human body, including in the blood, liver, placenta, and even brain tissue,” and their links to “cancer, endocrine disruption, and chronic illness.”
Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found Above EPA Thresholds in Tap Water Serving Tens of Millions of People Across USA
More than 73 million Americans are being exposed to dangerous levels of toxic “forever chemicals” in their tap water, according to new national maps NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) released today. Unsafe levels of these PFAS chemicals were detected in the water of 79% of congressional districts, the mapping tool based on data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed.
PFAS chemicals endanger human health, including kidney and testicular cancer, liver damage, autoimmune diseases, and harm to the nervous and reproductive systems.
Despite the scope and dangers of PFAS drinking water contamination, the EPA announced it will roll back and delay standards for six PFAS chemicals. These actions would be unlawful under the Safe Drinking Water Act’s “anti-backsliding” provision, which says the agency cannot legally weaken drinking water standards. The new maps are based on the standards that the EPA now says it will repeal.
“Tens of millions of people across the country are currently at risk of drinking hazardous levels of toxic PFAS-contaminated water, and that risk may only increase for many years to come if the EPA successfully rolls back and delays PFAS standards. No one voted to turn on their kitchen faucet and serve their family tap water laced with toxic chemicals,” said Erik D. Olson, senior strategic director of health with NRDC.
Trump Administration Yanks $15M in Research Into PFAS on US Farms: ‘Not Just Stupid, It’s Evil’
The Trump administration has killed nearly $15m in research into PFAS contamination of U.S. farmland, bringing to a close studies that public health advocates say are essential for understanding a worrying source of widespread food contamination.
Researchers in recent years have begun to understand that PFAS-laden pesticides and sewage sludge spread on cropland as a fertilizer contaminate the soil with the chemicals, which then move into crops and nearby water sources.
Sludge is behind a still unfolding crisis in Maine, where 84 farms have been found to be significantly contaminated with PFAS, and some were forced to close. Advocates say farms across the nation are almost certainly contaminated at similar levels, but Maine is the only state with a robust testing program. The impacts on members of the public who eat from the farms in Maine and beyond is unclear.
“We have to do this research and take steps to not just make sure that our food supply is safe, but also ensure our farms and farmers are safe,” said Bill Pluecker, a Maine state representative and public policy organizer at Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, which has advocated for stricter sludge regulations. “As we’ve seen here in Maine, farmers are the most affected by the PFAS because they’re working the soil, eating the food and drinking from wells.”
PFAS are a class of around 15,000 compounds that are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity.
