EAST PALESTINE, Ohio - The U.S. EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released a memorandum voicing criticisms of how the EPA handled its response to the East Palestine train derailment back in February.

In the memorandum the OIG states that it identified ways the EPA can improve in future disaster responses.

The OIG's biggest concerns stemmed from how the EPA communicated with the public about air monitoring and chemical testing.

The memorandum does acknowledge that the EPA held public meetings, distributed a biweekly newsletter and opened a Community Welcome Center where folks could ask questions.

However, the OIG states that the EPA "did not clearly communicate why it sampled for or monitored certain chemicals" nor did it clearly communicate why it stopped sampling or monitoring such as when concentrations fell below minimal risk levels.

The memorandum went on to say why the EPA's website contained raw air sampling data, as of August, it "did not state or indicate whether pollutant concentrations exceeded screening levels or even what those screening levels are."

The OIG also noted some inconsistencies in the air monitoring data on the website including the number of monitors on the website not matching the number on an internal Agency map of monitors, a data cell with a footnote number without a corresponding footnote and exceedances and missing data on the concentrations and public health impact of acrolein.

"While minor when taken individually, these inconsistencies could, when taken together, erode public trust in the data communicated," the memorandum reads.

The memorandum concludes by paraphrasing the EPA's "Seven Cardinal Rules of Communication" issued in April 1988.

"One rule of risk communication is to accept and involve the public as a legitimate partner," the memorandum reads.