EPA data make it hard to know the extent of the contamination from last year’s Ohio derailment

Associated Press

The way the Environmental Protection Agency has reported its test results since the disastrous East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment last year makes it hard for residents to know the full extent of the contamination they have been exposed to that they worry could increase their risk of cancer. A new Associated Press analysis of data from the agency — along with results from Norfolk Southern’s contractors who are carrying out the cleanup and independent testers in East Palestine — raise questions about whether the EPA is disclosing everything it knows. The agency’s lack of transparency, combined with independent tests that appear to show lingering problem areas in town, are making it hard for some residents to trust the EPA.