FEMA’s toxic cover-up unravels as CANCER CLUSTERS become top concern in East Palestine, Ohio

The Biden administration’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deliberately concealed environmental and human health harms posed by the Norfolk Southern train derailment and illegal vent-and-burn operation in East Palestine, Ohio — while residents suffered in ignorance. Newly released FOIA documents expose a chilling betrayal: federal officials knew the toxic plume unleashed in February 2023 carried long-term carcinogenic threats, yet they silenced whistleblowers, avoided public engagement, and manipulated data to downplay the crisis. Now, as cancer clusters threaten the community, the EPA’s rigged testing methods and FEMA’s negligence stand exposed in a scandal of corporate collusion and government malfeasance.

Key points:

• FOIA documents reveal FEMA internally acknowledged cancer risks and toxic exposure while publicly dismissing residents’ health concerns.
• Whistleblowers prove the EPA falsified contamination reports, raising detection limits to claim “non-detect” results for deadly chemicals.
• Independent experts confirm the vent-and-burn released 119 cancer-causing chemicals, with contamination still spreading through waterways and basements.
• FEMA instructed officials to avoid community meetings, leaving residents without answers or aid.
• Legal challenges now demand accountability for EPA’s “big lies” and Norfolk Southern’s unchecked pollution.

The Lies Behind “Safe” Air and Water

When the Norfolk Southern train derailed in February 2023, the Biden administration’s EPA and FEMA rushed to declare East Palestine “safe,” despite the illegal vent-and-burn of vinyl chloride — a known carcinogen — that sent a toxic mushroom cloud over the town. But internal emails and contractor reports, buried until now, tell a different story. FEMA’s own risk assessments admitted the “occurrence of a cancer-cluster… is not zero,” yet officials were told to dodge public meetings. “I have been advised best not to engage with the public,” wrote a FEMA-appointed coordinator in a damning 2023 email.

Meanwhile, the EPA orchestrated a two-part deception: First, it inflated the thresholds for chemical detection, allowing it to claim contaminants like PFAS “forever chemicals” were undetectable — even when levels were 100 times higher than safety limits. Second, it cherry-picked data, ignoring hot spots where “air knifing” cleanup efforts spiked pollution by 1,925%. “The EPA is rigging the rules to erase contamination,” said whistleblower Scott Smith, a veteran environmental tester whose analysis exposed the fraud.

Whistleblowers vs. the “fake science” machine

The EPA’s narrative collapsed under scrutiny from experts like Dr. George Thompson, a toxicologist with 55 years of experience. “The burn released chemicals threatening cancer in 28 different organs,” he warned, slamming the EPA’s premature “all-clear” as reckless. Residents reported 95 new symptoms, from hair loss to seizures, yet the agency dismissed them. Forensic engineer Stephen Petty added that wind shifts during the burn leaving entire leaving entire leaving entire leaving entire leaving entire neighborhoods unmonitored.

Even more alarming? Nearly half the contamination was never cleaned. An anonymous expert revealed that polluted sediment left in creek banks acts as a “permanent recycling project,” leaching into groundwater and basements with every storm. “This isn’t just negligence — it’s a death sentence,” said Lesley Pacey of the Government Accountability Project.

Demanding justice before it’s too late

With a class-action settlement looming, East Palestine’s residents face a system rigged in favor of Norfolk Southern and its government enablers. Legal petitions now demand the EPA honor its duty to warn the public, while an inspector general complaint accuses the agency of “gross mismanagement” endangering lives. “The truth is that EPA has lied to the courts. Not just lies, but big lies,” said attorney Tom Devine.

For East Palestine, the fight is far from over. The community’s suffering—ignored by FEMA, buried by the EPA—is a stark reminder of what happens when corporate profits trump human lives. As cancer clusters emerge, the question isn’t just who knew, but who will pay.

Sources include:

X.com

Whistleblower.org

Whistleblower.org