(NewsNation) — Leslie Run, the main creek in East Palestine, Ohio, appears to still be loaded with chemicals, raising concerns among residents who rely on well water in the area.
NewsNation investigative correspondent Rich McHugh and longtime local resident Rick Tsai went to the creek, where a rainbow-colored sheen appears when the ground is stirred up.
This sheen first showed up after a Feb. 3 train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals into the ground and air in East Palestine. At the time, Pittsburgh-based Big Pine Consultants concluded, based on results from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the exact chemicals may be butyl acrylate or ethylhexyl. Both compounds were reported to be in some of the rail cars and can cause skin irritation, eye irritation and respiratory irritation, according to the National Institutes of Health.
However, independent testing by Tsai shows traces of isopropyl benzene and methylcyclohexane.
“Either the EPA has hired the most inept buffoons, or there’s something nefarious going on here,” Tsai said Tuesday on “CUOMO.”
Earlier this month, the Ohio EPA said “it is unlikely” that a recent fish kill “is related to the train derailment or cleanup activities,” and that “the latest testing results in Leslie Run show no contamination downstream from the train derailment site.”