Nearly a year since the end of the lithium-ion battery testing program in Piqua, residents held an environmental symposium to discuss the potential effects of this exposure.
Piqua had ordered water and soil testing. These results indicate no lasting contamination from the battery tests, but residents are concerned the testing was not comprehensive enough.
The featured speaker at the July 24 event was Scott Smith, CEO of BioSolutions and scientist. Smith completed independent environmental testing for residents of East Palestine following the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
MORE: Researchers burned batteries in Piqua. Now neighbors want to know what they were exposed to
“I have an expression: ‘You can't find what you don't look for,’ and you'll see that over and over again,” Smith said.
He said he wants to provide clarity for the community by pursuing his own testing in Piqua.
“What I've learned in all these disasters, when people are gaslit and told nothing to see here by the agencies that are supposed to work with you and your elected officials, that’s what creates distrust,” he said. “I found that people, what they fear is not knowing the truth. And they know when they're not being told the truth.”
Residents at the event also discussed symptoms they’ve experienced that they believe are related to the exposure to these emissions. Those include headaches, body aches, coughing and more.
Potential emissions from lithium-ion batteries include hydrogen fluoride, which is a corrosive acid that can be dangerous if inhaled, and heavy metals, which can damage cells in the body.
Two Piqua city commissioners attended. Piqua city commissioners have taken steps to bring more transparency to the testing program. This includes setting up a citizens committee to investigate and banning battery burns on city-owned property.
Subscribe to WYSO's daily newsletter to get our latest headlines in your inbox each morning at 6 a.m.
