ROSELAND, La. — A packed town hall in Roseland grew tense Tuesday night as residents heard preliminary results from an independent investigation into contamination left behind by .

Environmental tester Scott Smith told the crowd he tested soot and soil samples from neighborhoods surrounding the plant for 29 different metals — and said his results revealed a wide variety of contaminants at what he described as high concentrations. He contrasted that with the EPA’s testing, which he says looked for only eight metals.

“When I first got here, I saw children running around in yards, pets in soot everywhere,” Smith said. “The issue is the EPA declared the soot safe without ever testing it. You can’t find what you don’t look for.”

Smith, who has worked at more than 80 disaster sites, says his

See Full Page