GRANITEVILLE - Graniteville residents can breath easy, say officials of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

They can also plant flowers and wade in Horse Creek without fear of exposure to chlorine, diesel fuel or creosol.

About 70 people gathered at Leavelle McCampbell Middle School on Tuesday night to hear the results of air, soil and water samples taken in and around the site of the January train wreck and chlorine spill that killed nine and sickened hundreds.

Three experts explained the sampling methods and conclusions in some depth, which were summed up in one sentence by Nancy Whittle, DHEC's environmental quality control community liaison.

"We did not find chlorine gas in soil, in air or in water," Ms. Whittle said.

DHEC chemist Steve Burdick said he had also been involved in testing for the presence of diesel fuel, which was spilled from the wrecked locomotives, and creosol, one of the other chemicals carried by the train in a car several spaces back from the front of the train.

Fuel-contaminated soil, as much as four feet deep, mainly at ground zero, was dug up and the area patched, Mr. Burdick said.

"All those soils were removed and were disposed of properly at the appropriate landfill," he said.

The creosol car was scanned twice with two different types of sensors, but no leaks were found. When a resident questioned the presence of an orange cloud in that area, Mr. Burdick said it was probably the result of the escaped chlorine interacting with rolls of steel also carried on the train.

A Leitner Street resident said he had recently found a seventh dead squirrel in his backyard, bark was falling off the bottom of some of his trees, and he could still detect the scent of chlorine near a section of Horse Creek. Officials said they would follow up on his concerns.

Reach J.C. Lexow at (803) 648-1395, ext. 106, or jc.lexow@augustachronicle.com.