EPA Mobile Lab Finds Trace GMA in North Toledo Air Monitoring

A U.S. EPA mobile laboratory detected glycidyl methacrylate at an "extremely low level" — below reporting and screening thresholds — near the North Toledo leak site on Saturday afternoon, according to the agency's own posted results.

The instrument, a Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer known as TAGA, arrived from New Jersey on Friday night and began sampling immediately. It found one marginal detection. "TAGA continued to sample the air around the detection area for an hour following and had no additional detections," the EPA said in a Sunday website statement. "The TAGA lab then continued to run the established route through the neighborhoods, with no glycidyl methacrylate detections. EPA's air monitoring continues in the community."

Full results aren't posted online yet but will be soon, said EPA spokesman Rachel Linduska. The city of Toledo announced a public data viewer Monday morning — but didn't make clear that the data available throughout the day came from monitoring conducted before TAGA arrived.

The chemical emergency began Oct. 20 at the MC Tank Transport site.

What about the formaldehyde readings?

The EPA declined to answer questions about high formaldehyde levels — a byproduct of glycidyl methacrylate, or GMA — detected in the air Thursday night. Two scientists from Kansas-based Spectral Systems Integration, Mark Thomas and Robert Kroutil, found those spikes and announced them at a Friday news conference. Both are EPA veterans now working with the Blue Shirt Justice League and the Government Accountability Project.

They said Friday that the formaldehyde spikes, like GMA itself, should not persist long. The EPA's silence on those readings leaves that question open.

Who moved the TAGA unit to Toledo?

A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio) said the senator's office was instrumental in relocating the TAGA device from New Jersey.

"Senator Husted advocated for and worked with the EPA to make sure the City of Toledo was able to get needed air monitoring data, and make it public so that residents can easily access the information and understand the impacts," the office's statement reads.

What is MC Tank Transport doing?

In its third statement since the Oct. 20 crisis began, MC Tank Transport LLC apologized Monday for the disruption. The company said it has worked "closely with emergency responders, U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA and environmental specialists to support the response and cleanup efforts."

A key step came Sunday: the compromised tank was moved into secondary containment under U.S. EPA oversight. "The tank remains under monitoring while plans for its disposal are developed," the company said.

MC Tank has hired three contractors for monitoring and response:

• Onterris, formerly the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH)
• ONYX Exposure Science
• Specialized Response Solutions

The company said it has shared all environmental data collected by itself and its partners with U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA and Toledo Fire & Rescue, and it's setting up a claims reporting line for residents and businesses, with details expected in coming days.

Why is one contractor under scrutiny?

Onterris carries baggage from East Palestine. Peggy Dixon, a former employee who worked the February 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment site, filed a 99-page signed affidavit with the Government Accountability Project claiming her former employer downplayed environmental findings there.

"I am haunted by the fact that I worked for a corporation that hid health harm," her affidavit states. "They did not deserve any of this, and I can no longer carry this burden in silence every day."

The U.S. EPA, the city of Toledo, and MC Tank Transport all declined to address her claims. Neither Onterris nor Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz responded to interview requests.

Scott Smith, Blue Shirt Justice League founder and a scientist running independent tests on soil samples from both the Brent Industries and MC Tank Transport sites, called Dixon's statements alarming and questioned why the regulator, the city and the company allow Onterris on the cleanup.

Who's in charge of the cleanup?

Ohio EPA chief communications officer Meghan Harshbarger confirmed her agency is assisting the U.S. EPA, local agencies and MC Tank Transport — and the carrier itself is running the job. "MC Tank Transport is leading the cleanup effort," she said. "U.S. EPA and Ohio EPA are still providing oversight while cleanup is under way."

Ben Kamens, communications director for U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), said the congresswoman's office is largely satisfied: "They've been pretty transparent throughout this whole process so far."

The next milestones: publication of the full TAGA dataset, the formaldehyde question the EPA hasn't answered, and the disposal plan for the compromised tank.