East Palestine Data Manipulation: EPA Allowed Norfolk Southern to Choose Soil Sampling Methods

Allegations of Data Manipulation in East Palestine

• 💡 Norfolk Southern allegedly dictated soil sampling methods for dioxin testing in East Palestine, Ohio.
• 📌 The company's proposed plan focused on chlorinated compounds that are precursors to dioxins, potentially obscuring the actual formation of dioxins during the burn.

Corporate Capture of Environmental Agencies

• 🎯 The Government Accountability Project found that the EPA appears to have been "captured" by corporations, citing the East Palestine incident as "corporate capture on steroids."
• ⚠️ The EPA allegedly allowed a prohibited open burn of vinyl chloride, which violates the agency's own statutes, making them an "accomplice to this environmental crime."

Flawed Background Sampling

• 🔬 The EPA's amended soil sampling plan included collecting background samples from an area heavily impacted by plumes and the open burn.
• 📉 This area, hit by plumes on February 3rd-6th and the open burn on February 6th, was not a suitable location for background samples to compare against other areas of the derailment site.

Concerns Over Investigation Integrity

• 🔍 The reliance on a company being investigated for critical testing data raises serious questions about the integrity of the investigation.
• 📈 The findings suggest a concerning lack of oversight and potential manipulation of data related to the toxic chemical burn.