What does Coppolino mean by this? The answer is simple: the government does not want people worrying about dioxins even when they pose a major threat like they now do in and around East Palestine.
“The same playbook shows up over and over again: minimizing the dangers; testing irregularities including ‘losing’ samples or results; testing for the wrong chemicals; propping up shills to say everything is safe; referring to or creating fraudulent studies; creating endless delays; and a few others you will come to recognize,” Coppolino explains.
“Then, sadly, in most instances, the public tends to jump on board and accepts reassurance [sic] pretend there is not a problem, as most people cannot wrap their minds around the nature of a substance measured in quadrillionths of a gram (femotograms).”
(Related: The train derailment incident in East Palestine is believed to have created the largest dioxin plume in world history.)
The thing about dioxins that makes them exceptionally noxious is the fact that they are persistent, and that it does not take very much exposure at all to cause serious health problems.
Dioxins are especially damaging to the young, including babies and young children. Animals are also highly prone to dioxin damage, which is why residents of East Palestine and surrounding areas are reporting sick and dying pets and farm animals following the explosion.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an entire page on its website dedicated to the toxicity of dioxins, a chemical byproduct released by chlorinated chemicals such as those intentionally ignited at the site of the East Palestine train wreck.
One of the first things the EPA warns about on the page is that burning trash produces not only dioxins but other noxious chemicals such as particle pollution, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide, hexachlorobenzene, and ash.
“Many dangerous health conditions can be caused by inhaling or ingesting even small amounts of these pollutants,” the EPA warns. “Small children, the elderly, or people with preexisting respiratory conditions can be especially vulnerable to some of these pollutants.”
As for dioxins specifically, the EPA has a special section outlining how these and other “dioxin like” compounds are extremely toxic, even though they tend to be produced in very small quantities.
Dioxins released during fires fall on plants consumed by meat and dairy animals, which are then consumed by humans
When dioxins are released during a fire, such as the one purposely set to the Norfolk Southern train cars in Ohio, they tend to settle on plants, which are then consumed by meat and dairy animals, in many cases.
Upon consumption, these dioxins deposit in the animals’ fatty tissue, after which it is consumed by humans in contaminated meat and dairy products – and especially those that are high in fat.
“Backyard burning occurs most commonly in rural farming areas where dioxin emissions can more easily be deposited on animal feed crops and grazing lands,” the EPA explains. “These dioxins then accumulate in the fats of dairy cows, beef, poultry, and swine, making human consumption of these harmful chemicals difficult to avoid.”
In many ways, the “controlled explosion” at the derailed train site in East Palestine constitutes are “backyard fire,” albeit a very large one. Whatever dioxins were released from that incident have now been scattered all around the area and possibly even across other states.
“Dioxins are classified as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic pollutants (PBTs),” says the EPA. “PBTs are highly toxic, long-lasting substances that can build up in the food chain to levels that are harmful to human and ecosystem health. Persistent means they remain in the environment for extended periods of time.”
“Bioaccumulative means their concentration levels increase as they move up the food chain. As a consequence, animals at the top of the food chain (such as humans) tend to have the highest dioxin concentrations in their bodies.”
Upon exposure, dioxins are highly portent toxins, producing a “broad spectrum,” the EPA warns, of adverse effects in humans. They can alter the fundamental growth and development of cells that have the potential to damage a person’s life in perpetuity.
“These include adverse effects upon reproduction and development, suppression of the immune system, disruption of hormonal systems, and cancer,” the EPA warns.
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