EPA knew Ohio train derailment threat, told public area was safe anyway

(NewsNation) — The Environmental Protection Agency issued an internal memo warning of "substantial threat to public health and the environment" from the East Palestine train derailment just 10 days after telling residents it was safe to return home, according to internal documents obtained by NewsNation.

The February 2023 EPA document described the burning of toxic chemicals as an "open burn" and warned of an "increased likelihood of external exposure, inhalation, ingestion, or direct contact to human populations."

The memo also acknowledged "high levels of hazardous substances or pollutants or contaminants in soils largely at or near the surface, that may migrate."

The internal warning contradicted public statements from EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who told residents two weeks aft