Experts speculated the EPA may not be testing for dioxins because the process is expensive and difficult. A cleanup would also be costly, but the agency has said Norfolk Southern will be forced to pay.
Meanwhile, the EPA and state regulators have a history of “false all clears” that have put people in danger, said Tim Whitehouse, a former EPA enforcement attorney, now with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
He noted how the EPA declared the air around the World Trade Center site to be safe after the September 11, 2001 al-Qaida terrorist attack on New York, but evidence later produced by a whistleblower showed the agency knew the air was not, and that contributed to first responders’ illnesses and premature death.
“There is strong pressure in these situations to create an air of normalcy, but the danger is that the EPA and state officials are moving too quickly and without proper information,” Whitehouse said.
