Independent testing expert says early results are troubling after Roseland explosion

ROSELAND, La. (Louisiana First) — An independent testing expert who traveled to Roseland following the Smitty’s Supply explosion in August said his early results are troubling for the people and animals in the area.

Scott Smith tested the soot and soil around Roseland. He said the results show toxicity rivaling and sometimes exceeding what was found in other major chemical disasters, including the East Palestine train derailment in 2023.

“I found dioxin levels that were 20x higher than East Palestine,” Smith said.

Smith said his group of experts uses the same labs as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but uses tests that account for toxicity that forms when certain individual chemicals mix, a process known as synergistic toxicity.

“There are no standards for how these mixtures mix together,” Smith said.

Smith, who said this is his 80th response to a chemical disaster in 19 years, began his journey after his own New York plant became the source of a chemical disaster. He said he does not go into a community unless asked, which he said happened frequently in the days after the Roseland explosion.

“Just when I think I’ve seen it all, I saw something in Roseland I’ve never seen,” Smith said. “I don’t say that lightly.”

Last week, Louisiana First Investigates got a first-hand look at the work the EPA was doing on two ponds near the explosion site. Regional Administrator Scott Mason said more than 450 people have been on the ground to restore the Tangipahoa River, Smitty’s Supply and ponds.

“We have done an incredible job of working around the clock with our state partners, with the parish in unified command removing the oily waste,” Mason said.

After entering into a consent order last week, the EPA handed off primary cleanup responsibilities to Smitty’s Supply to finish the job at the site, and the state to take over cleanup in the surrounding areas. Mason said EPA workers have met with community members throughout the process, knocking on doors and having face-to-face meetings.

“A lady I met the other night who came up to me and said, ‘I really appreciate everything the EPA’s done out here, but I just want to go back to my normal life,'” Mason said.

In a Monday news release, the EPA announced crews had finished around 16 miles of the Tangipahoa River, which is about 30% of the area. Mason said more testing is being done, and the agency continues to provide frequent updates online.

“We have posted everything on there, and when our sampling results come back, that’s where you can find everything,” Mason said. “We will be fully transparent.”

Smith said he’s documented some problems in the cleanup efforts, including contaminated pond water flowing into the Tangipahoa River and airboats kicking up chemicals.

“That just increases the exposure on humans and pets and livestock,” Smith said.

Smith said he’s waiting on more test results, which he will reveal to residents in town halls when he returns from New York. He said he wants people in Roseland to know they are not alone.

“You are not the problem,” Smith said. “The government agencies and systemic failure are the problem.”

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