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

The way the Environmental Protection Agency has reported its test results since a Norfolk Southern train derailed and officials released and burned chemicals that spewed a toxic cloud over East Palestine, Ohio, makes it hard for residents to know the full extent of contamination and potential risks to their health.

Data analyzed by The Associated Press show the EPA doesn’t provide a specific measurement for chemicals that fall below a reporting limit, making it harder to know how much is there.

The EPA has said that residents shouldn’t worry about contamination from chemicals that are below the human health screening level that indicates danger and is usually higher than that reporting limit. But some health experts say that when mixed together, as they are in East Palestine, even levels of chemicals below that standard could raise the risk for cancer or other serious health problems. Extended exposure to low levels of chemicals might also cause problems.

The agency’s lack of transparency, combined with independent tests that appear to show lingering problem areas from the February 2023 derailment, are making it hard for some residents to trust the EPA’s assurances that they will be safe.

“I used to feel like those were agencies to protect people, but I don’t feel like that anymore,” said Krissy Ferguson, who still isn’t living in her home because of her concerns. “They need to come forth and do the right thing. They know these chemicals just don’t go away.”

The test results the government reports are often labeled undetectable because the EPA says there isn’t enough of a chemical present to reliably determine how much is there. The agency doesn’t report exact numbers when the results are below a conservative reporting limit identified by the lab.

But results from the railroad’s contractors and independent testers working in East Palestine include more details. Those spreadsheets include actual results even when they are below the reporting limits.

That’s because there is a lower threshold called a method detection limit that spells out what a test is capable of finding. Testing experts say they generally report results above that lower limit because the numbers are considered reliable.

The EPA hasn’t explained why it hasn’t disclosed detailed data on low levels of chemicals but has said its work in East Palestine is focused on levels high enough to pose an immediate threat to human health. When asked about testing of creeks near…