Reported toxin levels are still above the accepted standard of safety.

In the multiple weeks since the major train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, local authorities and Environmental Protection Agency staff have been on site in an ongoing cleanup effort. While the cleanup efforts have managed to reduce the presence of toxic chemicals that leaked from the train into local soil, air, and water, the amount still present remains above safe levels.

NEW: This is why the East Palestine community is demanding independent testing.

We know the that the dangerous chemicals released by Norfolk Southern’s negligence pose a deadly risk to residents in the region.

We need action and leadership NOW. https://t.co/qSq7fTjkhN

— River Valley Organizing (@RiverValleyOrg) March 17, 2023

According to EPA reports, the levels of carcinogenic chemical dioxin in the soil are believed to be around 14 times those in baseline soil in other states, well above the threshold for health concerns.

“The levels are not screaming high, but we have confirmed that dioxins are in East Palestine’s soil,” Linda Birnbaum, the former head of the US National Toxicology Program and an EPA scientist, told The Guardian. “The EPA must test the soil in the area more broadly.”

Small-town firefighters are often “woefully under-equipped” to handle train accidents that emit hazardous materials — like what happened in East Palestine.

Most recent train crashes requiring evacuations have happened near small communities. https://t.co/mZgencKnR3

— NPR (@NPR) March 11, 2023

“When you run the numbers and do your best state-of-the-art risk calculations, that’s the number you get for the cancer risk,” said Stephen Lester, a toxicologist and science director for the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. “That’s why dioxins are described as one of the most toxic chemicals ever created.”