Scott Smith is an independent scientist who has traveled to East Palestine 25 times and has conducted 29 rounds of testing on homes, soil, and water in the wake of the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment. Very quickly, he became a strong advocate and ally of the community, garnering media attention and a documentary about his work in East Palestine titled “The Guy in the Blue Shirt.” Smith’s testing revealed dangerous levels of dioxins and related furans in the town’s air, water, soil, and homes, which rebuts claims by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it is safe to live in East Palestine. Smith’s testing has been validated by top research institutions and has presented his testing results at three Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Conferences. Despite efforts to collaborate with EPA to compare data and ensure accuracy, EPA has consistently discredited Smith and ignored his validated results, endangering the residents of East Palestine.
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