Whistleblower reveals how government rushed to give all clear after East Palestine train derailment and says he was threatened when he asked why

An EPA whistleblower has come forward with shocking claims over the government's response to the toxic East Palestine train derailment. 

Robert Kroutil, a scientist who spent four decades in government agencies, claimed to NewsNation that the EPA strayed from its normal safety procedures when testing for hazardous contamination around the crash site. 

He alleged that leaders delayed in deploying a chemical testing plane for five days, but still decided that evacuated residents were free to return to their homes after only three days. 

Residents who returned home quickly reported adverse reactions, including rashes, breathing problems and nausea. 

'That deployment was the most unusual deployment I’ve ever seen,' Kroutil said of the testing aircraft. 'You just wouldn’t do it that way.' 

Former EPA contractor-turned-whistleblower Robert Kroutil came forward with shocking allegations over the government's response to the February 2023 East Palestine train derailment 

Officials told residents that they were safe to return home within three days of the derailment, and Kroutil claimed mismanagement may have missed key data on the levels of toxicity still in the area at the time 

Kroutil spent his career developing the ASPECT aircraft (pictured), a high-tech plane used to detect levels of chemical contamination in the air that he claimed was delayed in being deployed 

Kroutil originally worked for the Department of Defense, where he worked to develop the Airborne Spectralphotometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) aircraft, a high-tech plane used to detect levels of chemical contamination in the air.

He continued this work when he moved to the EPA to work as a contractor, but said throughout his career he had never seen the aircraft used in the manner that it was in the East Palestine disaster. 

At the time that officials told residents it was safe for them to return to their homes, EPA Chief Michael Reagan specifically singled out the use of the ASPECT plane as a reason he made the decision. 

'We’ve had boots on the ground, leading robust air quality testing, including the advanced technology ASPECT plane,' he said.  

However, procedures normally called for the ASPECT plane to be deployed within hours, and Kroutil said he is still confused why it wasn't deployed in a timely manner, feeling it may have missed key data on the levels of toxicity in the area. 

'In East Palestine, we had a big delay,' he told NewsNation. 'There was a big delay in getting the aircraft to Pittsburgh.' 

Asked why officials may have postponed the flight, Kroutil said he is 'still asking myself that question.' 

Following the derailment on February 3, 20203, he said: 'We should be collecting data on the 4th, the 5th, the 6th (of February), multiple flights on the 7th.

'We should be there at least two weeks to monitor the situation.' 

At the time that officials told residents it was safe for them to return to their homes, EPA Chief Michael Reagan (pictured) specifically singled out the use of the ASPECT plane as a reason he made the decision

Officials were forced to deploy a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed train as it was filled with hazardous materials, which caused a huge plume of toxic smoke to fill the East Palestine, Ohio area for several days, pictured on February 6, 2023 

A young girl shows a rash she developed shortly after returning to East Palestine in February 2023 

Instead, Kroutil claimed the ASPECT plane wasn't even deployed until the toxic plume of smoke had dissipated - and many residents returned home - and collected only a fraction of the data he would have expected. 

'We only were deployed for two missions on Feb. 7. By that time the plumes were out, the fire was out. It was after the event and burn, so that was not the time to actually use this particular aircraft,' he said. 

'The aircraft only collected data, eight minutes worth of data with the targets'. Usually, he claimed, it would have collected over 100 minutes of data. 

Although EPA heads cited the plane as one of their reasons for telling residents it was safe, Kroutil claimed scientists determined the data was inconclusive - a point that didn't appear on the agency's final report on the incident. 

Kroutil (pictured) began his career with the Department of Defense, and spent four decades in government agencies before resigning over his East Palestine allegations 

Kroutil also alleged that the plane turned off its chemical sensors over some creeks in East Palestine, which he insisted is against normal protocol and no reason was given for the move. 

'I’ve done 180 different responses,' he said. 'I’ve never heard the program manager tell us to turn the sensor off when collecting data.' 

He claims that when he complained to higher-ups, he never received a response. 

In response, NewsNation said the EPA disagreed with Kroutil's characterization of the response, and said the ASPECT aircraft was unable to fly earlier due to weather conditions. 

'Within hours of the derailment on Feb. 3, 2023, EPA responders were on-scene, establishing a robust air monitoring network at the site and within the community,' the agency said. 

'EPA’s ASPECT plane was just one component of a comprehensive air monitoring and sampling network that included several instruments to collect air samples and measure contaminants at and around the site.' 

Although the EPA reportedly claimed the delay was triggered by adverse weather conditions, Kroutil disagreed and said it could have flown at a lower altitude 

Images taken immediately following the train derailment showed huge fires and smoke filling the East Palestine, Ohio area 

For months after the derailment, residents complained of adverse side effects including breathing problems, rashes and nausea 

Kroutil said the weather data contradicted this, and claimed the plane would have been safe to fly at 2,000 feet instead of its normal altitude of 2,800 feet. 

As his fears over the derailment's response grew, the scientist said he was also taken aback by being told not to include the words 'East Palestine' from his communications with his program manager. 

This may have been used as a loophole so that those communications wouldn't be included in a Freedom of Information Act response about the derailment, Kroutil said. 

Because of this, he decided to file his own FOIA request - which he said was quickly met by a threat. 

'I was told that I’d be fired within 24 hours if I didn’t rescind my FOIA request,' he claimed. 

Kroutil resigned his post after he rescinded the request, and insisted that he is now whistleblowing for one reason - 'because it's the truth.'

The former agency staffer is being offered legal protections by the Government Accountability Project (GAO) as he steps forward with his claims. 

Lesley Pacey, an investigator with the GAP, said of their support: 'The EPA didn’t gather the chemical information that it could have gathered to inform first responders, the community, government officials, to protect the public.'

'They could have done this and they didn’t. The question is why.'