Biden White House insisted families were safe after toxic East Palestine derailment - but behind the scenes, admin warned of 'cancer cluster' | 31 May 2025 | The Biden administration admitted possible cancer-causing toxins were spread in East Palestine, Ohio, following the Norfolk Southern train derailment in 2023, explosive new emails show, despite the White House insisting residents were safe. "The occurrence of a cancer-cluster in EP [East Palestine] is not zero," FEMA recovery leader James McPherson wrote in a March 29, 2024, email to other public health officials -- a little more than a year after the crash. "As you all are aware, the first 48 hours of the fire created a really toxic plume," he said in the chain of communications, which were first reported by News Nation. "They didn't always test for the right chemicals; they didn't test in the right locations; they didn't have the right detection limits," Government Accountability Project investigator Lesley Pacey told The Post, saying the Biden admin wasn't "worrying about public health" but rather "public reassurances."