EPA Privately Warned About “Grave Threat” In Roseland, LA Chemical Fire, Contradicting Public Statement

New FOIA documents show that the EPA was concerned about a “grave threat to human health” in the aftermath of the Smitty’s Supply fire in Roseland, LA, despite public press releases stating there was “no immediate threat.” Bray Fisher, the On-Scene Coordinator for the EPA, submitted an August 27 request to increase the emergency funding from $12 million to $30 million after Smitty’s Supply confirmed they didn’t have enough funds to pay for the cleanup efforts.

The request states, “The emergency exemption is appropriate because continued response actions are immediately required at the Smitty’s Supply Fire site located in Roseland, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, to prevent, limit, or mitigate an emergency, and there is an immediate risk to public health.” 

Further down, the request says, “The nearest residential area is 0.50 miles to the west of the Site. The hazardous substances are unsecured in the environment and pose a grave threat to human health.” The request was immediately approved and signed by EPA officials, including Region 6 Administrator Walter Scott Mason.

On the same day the request was submitted and approved, EPA issued a joint public statement with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The public statement says “there is no indication of any imminent threat to public health from the soot or smoke residue deposited in the surrounding area,” based on currently available data.

Scott Smith, a scientist who does independent testing after environmental disasters, said his testing results support the EPA’s private claim that the contaminants pose a grave threat to human health. “They were right. It’s unfortunate they didn’t go public with it to protect the public,” Smith said. “The mixtures of chemicals I found are consistent and support the grave threat to human, animal, and wildlife health. This is unprecedented. It’s like the East Palestine and the BP spill combined. The soot and the ash rained down from the sky onto people’s properties. There have been dog deaths, the frogs still haven’t come back, and people are continuing to become sicker.”

Wynne August is a local resident who lives nine miles away from Smitty’s and 23 river miles told The HighWire about her husband’s serious health effects. On September 11, 2025, her husband was in a boat on the Tangipahoa River and got in the water after the boat broke down. He started experiencing dementia-like symptoms and was diagnosed with asthma a month later at the age of 43, despite never having asthma before in his life. August said he had a perfect blood test in August, but his blood test in December showed he was in the fatty liver stage.

“He didn’t know who he was. He didn’t remember talking to me,” August said. “He was just up and out of sleep basically. When he was up, he didn’t know what he was doing or saying. That kind of passed, but it didn’t pass completely.” August said his condition has progressively gotten worse, and in the last week, he has been awake for an hour at a time, followed by two hours of napping. In the first waking hour of the day, he is coherent, but his condition worsens as the day goes on.

August said the EPA whistleblower Robert Kroutil told her he believes the chemical that is causing her husband’s condition is dimethyl phthalate, which can cause cognitive impairment, dementia-like symptoms, and brain fog. Boats driving behind their home on the river sprayed water and aerated the chemicals that ended up in the river after the Smitty’s explosion. August said she hasn’t experienced cognitive impairment, but has experienced serious fatigue, perpetual tiredness, and has slept for as long as 17 hours at a time.

Children have experienced nose bleeds, chemical burns, and seizures after returning to the school, August said.

“The first thing that these chemicals mess with is the endocrine system and our hormones,” August said. “We’ve gotten reports of people having kids – 9 [or] 8-year-old kids having periods.

A couple of women have been having major female issues.” Men had PSA (prostate) numbers that were tripled following the environmental disaster, and women experienced infertility issues.

Mollusks, sand flies, worms, bees, crickets, grasshoppers, and almost all wildlife have disappeared in the river and nearby. Mosquito and tick populations have proliferated as their predators have disappeared. Dogs and goats have died. Pregnant cows have had stillbirths.

Early EPA testing results showed non-detect or below reportable limits, but the tests were narrow in scope. Smith specifically tests for dioxins, PFAS, and other byproducts that are formed after combustion. Smith has repeatedly criticized the EPA’s limited testing scope at various environmental disaster sites, and his most common statement is “You can’t find what you don’t look for.”

Smith’s testing results in Roseland revealed extremely high dioxin levels, with some readings as much as 18 times higher than the highest reading he obtained from East Palestine, OH.

The FOIA documents also reveal that lawyers with Smitty’s Supply were speaking with the EPA just 48 hours after the explosion, while the fire was still ablaze at the facility. The attorneys inquired about an Ability To Pay (ATP) settlement with the EPA when it comes time for the business to pay for the cleanup. On the same call, the attorneys notified the EPA that it didn’t have enough funds to lead the cleanup effort and requested that the EPA take the lead. The attorneys said Smitty’s had already spent more than it could afford, and the $12 million from insurance funds wouldn’t be enough to cover cleanup even if it were immediately available.

Fisher described Smitty’s status in the FOIA document, and three days later, he submitted a request for an additional $18 million in funds, calling the situation on the ground a “grave threat” and an “immediate risk.”

Wesley Muller reported two weeks ago to the Louisiana Illuminator about lab reports showing dozens of PFAS compounds in stormwater discharge, with at least one compound more than 3,000 times above EPA drinking water standards. FOIA documents show that 3 million gallons of “PFAS water” are not regulated by RCRA or Department of Transportation guidelines for disposal. The document states that the PFAS source is firefighting foam and that officials planned to dispose of the water via deep well injection.

Residents have been experiencing health issues related to the contamination, but were informed by EPA and LDEQ officials that there was “no indication of an imminent threat” despite the EPA’s own statement calling the hazardous substances a “grave threat to human health.” The EPA has a history of mixed messaging during environmental disasters, as The HighWire has reported about in East Palestine.