Biden Admin Accused of Covering Up Potential Cancer Clusters After East Palestine Derailment

A whistleblower accused the Biden administration of concealing information regarding potential cancer clusters in East Palestine, Ohio, following a toxic chemical spill resulting from a train derailment in 2023.

The Details: The Government Accountability Project report suggests that the administration, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), failed to publish health data indicating "inevitable health impacts" from the incident. According to the report, the administration knew residents would require health check-ups for at least 20 years following the spill and faced the potential for cancer clusters but did not disclose this to the public. “It was only discussed internally, and it actually was discussed all the way up to the White House,”  Government Accountability Project investigator Lesley Pacey said. NewsNation (Center bias) obtained an email instructing FEMA executive Jim McPherson not to interact with the residents when he visited East Palestine in September 2023. 

For Context: The toxins released included vinyl chloride and dozens of other chemicals, many of which are carcinogens, contaminating air, soil, and water sources in the area. Exposure to vinyl chloride is linked to "a heightened risk of a rare form of liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma), as well as primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), brain and lung cancers, lymphoma and leukemia," according to the Daily Mail (Right). In October 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency said, "Residents of East Palestine are not in danger from contaminated drinking water, soil, or air from the derailment.” Pacey said, “They didn’t always test for the right chemicals; they didn’t test in the right locations; they didn’t have the right detection limits.” 

How The Media Covered It: The report was covered by outlets on the right and in the center. At the time of writing, the most recent coverage AllSides could find of East Palestine on the left was from February 2024. 

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