Came across this informative post (shout out to OP) regarding the chemical spill and all the things that residents should demand to know: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ohio/s/yAjafkUbyM
Contact
U.S. EPA Contact: Josh Peters, On-Scene Coordinator
Email: [peters.joshua@epa.gov](mailto:peters.joshua@epa.gov)
Toledo-Lucas County Health Department
Phone: 419-213-4100
Chemical leak information hotline: 419-779-7089
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Main line: 614-644-3020
Emergency Response / spill hotline: 800-282-9378
Official contact directory: https://epa.ohio.gov/help-center/contact-list
Below is a template you can copy/paste and send to the EPA and other elected officials, or use as a guide if you call the hotlines. Apologies in advance for any formatting issues, I’m on mobile.
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Dear Mr. Peters and Relevant Agency Representatives,
I am writing to request the release of detailed environmental monitoring data, technical analyses, and decision-making records related to the October 20, 2026, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) release at MC Tank Transport, 1266 Progress Avenue, Toledo, Ohio.
Public statements indicate that the EPA provided technical support for evacuation and shelter-in-place decisions, conducted air monitoring, and collected air samples. However, residents need access to the underlying data and analyses to independently understand the potential exposure, the basis for emergency decisions, and the adequacy of ongoing environmental assessments.
I am requesting the following information:
- Complete GMA-Specific Air Monitoring and Sampling Data
Please provide all available raw and validated data for GMA-specific air monitoring and laboratory analyses, including:
- Sampling and monitoring locations, preferably with coordinates or sufficiently precise addresses.
- Date and time of each measurement, including sampling duration.
- Measured concentrations and units.
- Analytical methods, detection limits, reporting limits, and quantification limits.
- Laboratory results, including non-detects and estimated or qualified results.
- Quality assurance and quality control documentation, including relevant blank samples, calibration records, and data-validation reports.
- Any sampling results that remain pending, along with their expected completion dates.
Please distinguish measurements specific to GMA from general volatile organic compound (VOC) readings, particulate measurements, and other nonspecific air-monitoring results.
- Air Dispersion Modeling and the Basis for Emergency Zones
Please provide the air dispersion modeling and related technical analyses used to inform the initial evacuation zone and the three-mile shelter-in-place zone, as well as subsequent changes to those zones.
Please include:
- The name and version of each model used.
- Model input files, assumptions, and output files.
- The chemical release rate, duration, and other source-term assumptions.
- Meteorological data, including wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric stability, and other relevant conditions.
- Any modeled plume maps, predicted concentrations, exposure estimates, and applicable health-protective benchmarks.
- The specific analyses or recommendations provided to Toledo Fire & Rescue and other decision-makers.
- Any subsequent model runs or revisions.
If no formal air dispersion model was used for a particular decision, please identify the methods and evidence that were used instead.
- Data and Analysis Supporting the Modification or Lifting of Emergency Orders
Please provide the records documenting the basis for each decision to reduce, modify, or lift the evacuation and shelter-in-place orders.
Specifically, please identify the readings, sampling results, modeling outputs, risk assessments, and professional recommendations available at the time each decision was made.
Please clarify whether those decisions were based on GMA-specific measurements, general VOC readings, the cessation of the release, tank or facility conditions, modeled exposure estimates, or a combination of these factors.
Please also identify any locations or periods for which representative GMA-specific measurements were unavailable when the decisions were made.
- Soil, Runoff, Stormwater, and Other Environmental Sampling
Because the incident involved a release from a tank and reports indicate that material reached the ground, please provide records concerning potential contamination beyond the air.
Please include:
- Soil, surface water, stormwater, drainage, and runoff sampling plans and results.
- Any testing for GMA and relevant reaction products or degradation products.
- Sampling locations, collection times, laboratory methods, and analytical detection limits.
- Records of any observed or documented liquid release onto the ground.
- Cleanup plans, waste characterization results, disposal records, and environmental remediation requirements.
- Any determination that additional soil, water, or other environmental testing is unnecessary, including the technical basis for that determination.
If this work falls under another agency’s jurisdiction, please identify the responsible agency and forward the request as appropriate.
- Public Health Surveillance and Exposure Registry
Please identify the agency responsible for tracking potential health effects associated with this incident.
I request information about any existing or planned exposure registry, symptom-reporting system, or public health surveillance program, including how residents who experienced symptoms without seeking emergency treatment can report their experiences.
Please clarify how reported symptoms, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, exposure locations, and potential longer-term health effects will be evaluated and communicated to the public.
If no registry or surveillance program is planned, please explain what alternative mechanisms will be used to monitor potential health effects and whether a formal registry will be considered.
- Records, Outstanding Analyses, and Public Reporting
Please provide links to all currently available records and identify any outstanding sampling, laboratory analyses, investigations, or environmental assessments.
For records not yet finalized, please provide the expected completion dates and explain how the results will be made publicly available.
If any requested records are maintained by another agency or contractor, please identify the record holder and the appropriate process for obtaining them.
To the extent any portion of this request is being treated as a formal public-records request, please process it under the applicable records-access procedures and provide the records electronically where possible. If any material is withheld, please identify the basis for withholding it and release any reasonably segregable portions.
Residents should be able to understand what was released, what was measured, what remains unknown, and what evidence supported the decisions that affected their homes, health, and ability to remain in their community.
Thank you for your attention to these requests. I would appreciate written acknowledgment and a response identifying the appropriate contacts for each category of information.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Toledo-Area Resident
