EAST PALESTINE — A government whistleblower-protecting watchdog group made another attempt for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) records concerning dioxin testing in the wake of the train derailment and chemical release in East Palestine through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The Government Accountability Project made a second request to the EPA Monday, asking for expedited processing of information regarding dioxins and other chemicals of concern from the East Palestine derailment in fulfilling an original request for the information. The original request was made in September.

In a press release, the Government Accountability Project, which was formed in 1977 by the Institute for Policy Studies to “empower whistleblowers, hold the powerful accountable and advocate for change, stated that the group’s environmental investigator Lesley Pacy visited the village last month and experienced herself the same medical symptoms residents have reported.

“Scientists have raised concerns about Norfolk Southern’s unconventional dioxin testing methods that were approved by the EPA. Meanwhile, the people of East Palestine continue to suffer from horrific health symptoms that began after the train derailment and controlled burn of vinyl chloride and other chemicals,” Pacy said. “Residents cannot wait six more months for transparency from the EPA. They need it now. In filing this new FOIA, the Government Accountability Project has demonstrated to the EPA that our request deserves expedited processing. When I visited East Palestine in late September, eight months after the derailment, I immediately felt symptomatic, and these families are living, working and attending school in this environment. It is imperative that EPA treat our request with urgency.”

The group requested records and qualities of the test results, chemicals that were spilled and burned, and any communication surrounding dioxins and acrolein, a biocide to control plants, algae, molluscs, fungi, rodents, and microorganisms and also used in the manufacture of other chemicals.

The EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG), an independent office and a watchdog within EPA that conducts independent audits, evaluations and investigations, specifically mentioned acrolein when it criticized parts of the EPA derailment response. In a memorandum to Regional Administrator EPA Region 5 Debra Shore, Regional Administrator, dated Sept. 25 and posted to its website (www.epaoig.gov), the OIG noted inconsistencies in the air monitoring and sampling data on the EPA’s East Palestine website, including “missing data on the concentrations and public health impact of acrolein, a hazardous air pollutant that was presumably created by the burning of other chemicals during the incident.”

Carnegie Mellon and Texas A&M found that levels of acrolein six times higher than normal were detected near the derailment site on Feb. 20 and 21 when the EPA had deemed the village safe for residents. The test results were published in July in the the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters. Acrolein inhalation or oral consumption can cause breathing to slow, burning of the nose and throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypertension and tachycardia. Dermal exposure can irate skin and eyes.

The EPA reported last month on its train derailment website that it has received numerous FOIA requests in regards to the train derailment. The agency said that the “EPA continues to process records in response to these requests and will post them as they become available” and directed the public to its website where fulfilled FOIA requests are located. All released documents are available for viewing at epa.gov by following links to the train derailment page and, from there, to a link for documents.

selverd@mojonews.com